Stable Isotope Analysis of Dermis and the Foraging Behavior of Whale Sharks at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

This study used Stable Isotope analysis to investigate the foraging behaviour of sharks through the analysis of δ 13C and δ 15N values in the dermis.

Field trips occured during May 2013 and May 2014 to Ningaloo Reef for the collection of biopsies from 50 Whale Sharks. Biopsies were taken by snorklers using a hand spear fitted with a biopsy probe tip.

Samples of zooplankton, stomatopod and decapod larvae were collected in both 2013 and 2014, and other nekton were collected only in 2014. Zooplankton samples were collected by horizontal or oblique tows using 200 and 300 µm mesh nets for 10 min at a speed of ∼2 knots from a boat. Other nekton were collected using light traps deployed on the surface at night.

All datasets generated for this study are included in the manuscript and/or the Supplementary Files.