Rare Finding of a Baby Whale Shark, Saleh Bay, Sumbawa is Called a Strong Candidate for a Birth Area

Illustration - One of the whale sharks in the Cendrawasih Bay National Park, Nabire, Central Papua. ANTARA/HO-Cendrawasih Bay National Park Headquarters/am

MATARAM - Scientists have confirmed the discovery of a neonatal or baby whale shark measuring around 135 to 145 centimeters in the waters of Teluk Saleh, the northern part of Sumbawa Island, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). This finding is considered a strong indication that Teluk Saleh serves as a breeding and rearing area for whale shark pups.

English:

"Scientifically, this is a very strong signal and indicates that Teluk Saleh most likely has an ecological function as a breeding and rearing area for whale shark pups," said Focal Species Conservation Senior Manager of Conservation Indonesia (KI) Mochamad Iqbal Herwata Putra in his statement in Mataram, Antara, Tuesday, December 16.

English:

The discovery of the live whale shark baby in the wild has been announced through the journal Diversity and places Teluk Saleh as one of the strongest candidates for the location of whale shark nursery in the world.

English:

This finding also opens up the opportunity to reveal one of the biggest mysteries in marine biology, namely the location of whale sharks giving birth.

English:

The whale shark with the scientific name Rhincodon typus is the largest fish in the world. However, the earliest phase of the life of this plankton-eating species has almost never been observed. Until now, there has not been a single whale shark birth or pupping ground location that has been scientifically confirmed.

English:

Iqbal explained that during more than a century of research, global records on the appearance of baby whale sharks measuring less than 1.5 meters have only been recorded 33 times. Most of the findings are incidental, lack visual documentation, and do not occur repeatedly in the same location.

English:

A different condition can be seen in Teluk Saleh. In August to September 2024, local fishermen reported at least five sightings of small whale sharks measuring around 1.2 to 1.5 meters around the bagan. In fact, one individual was accidentally caught before being released back into the sea.

English:

The baby whale shark was in a styrofoam box containing seawater, so it was possible for fishermen to estimate the body size accurately through visual analysis based on a reference object. With the dimensions of the box 120 x 42 x 32 centimeters, scientists estimate that the total length of the baby whale shark ranges from 135 to 145 centimeters.

English:

English:

English:

Based on the growth curve from the study of Chang et al. (1997), which documented the neonatal growth of the whale shark from 60 centimeters to almost 140 centimeters in about 120 days, this size indicates the age of the whale shark baby of about four months. This phase is considered very early and very rarely successfully observed in the wild.

English:

"If it is later proven to be a birthing location, then Teluk Saleh will be the first location in the world that has ever been identified with certainty," said Iqbal.