* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Thursday, September 18, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    REO to return for UI homecoming – The News-Gazette

    REO Gears Up to Ignite the Stage at UI Homecoming Celebration!

    Gen V Season 2: What is The Odessa Project? – yahoo.com

    Gen V Season 2: Unlocking the Secrets of The Odessa Project

    PENN Entertainment stock rating reiterated at Market Outperform by JMP – Investing.com

    PENN Entertainment Stock Rated a Market Outperformer by Experts

    Here’s how NJ’s once-vibrant nightclub scene was born and why it died – Bergen Record

    The Rise and Fall of New Jersey’s Once-Vibrant Nightclub Scene: What Happened?

    The Emmys are back: Viewership soars to highest numbers in 4 years – yahoo.com

    The Emmys Return with a Bang: Viewership Hits a 4-Year High

    From Spinal Tap II to Ed Sheeran : your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead – The Guardian

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    China says US TikTok deal a ‘win-win’, will review app’s technology and IP transfers – Reuters

    China Hails US TikTok Deal as a ‘Win-Win’ While Launching Review of App’s Technology and IP Transfers

    Bucking the Odds: Why Technology Companies Should Embrace Software Patents Today – Crowell & Moring LLP

    Bucking the Odds: Why Technology Companies Should Embrace Software Patents Today – Crowell & Moring LLP

    City IT presented Best of North Carolina Technology Award – RaleighNC.gov

    City IT Honored with Best of North Carolina Technology Award

    LELO Releases 2025 Futurist Report: Intergenerational Views on Relationships, Sex, and Technology – PR Newswire

    Exploring the Future: How Different Generations View Relationships, Sex, and Technology in 2025

    Will New Big Technology Engagements Reshape Innodata’s Growth Path? – Yahoo Finance

    Could New Major Tech Partnerships Propel Innodata to Unprecedented Growth?

    Unlocking AI Success: How People, Process, and Technology Form the Ultimate Triangle

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    REO to return for UI homecoming – The News-Gazette

    REO Gears Up to Ignite the Stage at UI Homecoming Celebration!

    Gen V Season 2: What is The Odessa Project? – yahoo.com

    Gen V Season 2: Unlocking the Secrets of The Odessa Project

    PENN Entertainment stock rating reiterated at Market Outperform by JMP – Investing.com

    PENN Entertainment Stock Rated a Market Outperformer by Experts

    Here’s how NJ’s once-vibrant nightclub scene was born and why it died – Bergen Record

    The Rise and Fall of New Jersey’s Once-Vibrant Nightclub Scene: What Happened?

    The Emmys are back: Viewership soars to highest numbers in 4 years – yahoo.com

    The Emmys Return with a Bang: Viewership Hits a 4-Year High

    From Spinal Tap II to Ed Sheeran : your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead – The Guardian

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    China says US TikTok deal a ‘win-win’, will review app’s technology and IP transfers – Reuters

    China Hails US TikTok Deal as a ‘Win-Win’ While Launching Review of App’s Technology and IP Transfers

    Bucking the Odds: Why Technology Companies Should Embrace Software Patents Today – Crowell & Moring LLP

    Bucking the Odds: Why Technology Companies Should Embrace Software Patents Today – Crowell & Moring LLP

    City IT presented Best of North Carolina Technology Award – RaleighNC.gov

    City IT Honored with Best of North Carolina Technology Award

    LELO Releases 2025 Futurist Report: Intergenerational Views on Relationships, Sex, and Technology – PR Newswire

    Exploring the Future: How Different Generations View Relationships, Sex, and Technology in 2025

    Will New Big Technology Engagements Reshape Innodata’s Growth Path? – Yahoo Finance

    Could New Major Tech Partnerships Propel Innodata to Unprecedented Growth?

    Unlocking AI Success: How People, Process, and Technology Form the Ultimate Triangle

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

26-foot endangered whale shark tracked for record-breaking four years

July 26, 2024
in Science
26-foot endangered whale shark tracked for record-breaking four years
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A team of dedicated researchers from the University of Rhode Island and Nova Southeastern University in Florida have successfully tracked a 26-foot endangered whale shark, affectionately named “Rio Lady,” using a satellite transmitter for an impressive duration of over four years – setting a record for whale sharks and marking one of the lengthiest tracking efforts for any shark species.

With a lifespan ranging from 80 to 130 years, whale sharks are not only the largest fish in the world but also the third largest creature in the ocean, surpassed only by the blue and fin whales. These gentle giants, comparable in size to a small school bus, inhabit tropical oceans and leisurely glide near the water’s surface, feeding on small fish, fish eggs, and plankton with their mouths wide open.

Whale sharks cover about 5,000 miles annually in search of sufficient food to sustain themselves. Due to human-induced impacts, whale shark populations have markedly decreased, leading to their classification as Globally Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.

The remarkable journey of Rio Lady spanned approximately 27,000 miles and lasted nearly 1,700 days from 2018 to 2023. This incredible migration took her through the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and into the Atlantic Ocean south of Bermuda. A comprehensive study featured in the journal Marine and Freshwater Research delves into the movement, migration, and habitat utilization of Rio Lady.

“This was an amazing length of time to be able to track the movements of a wild animal,” said lead author Daniel Daye, who graduated from URI in May 2023 with a master’s degree in biological and environmental sciences. “Four years of data about the movements of even a single individual has allowed us to investigate whale sharks to an unprecedented degree and investigate questions that can’t be answered with shorter tracks.”

Rio Lady’s movements were meticulously tracked via satellite telemetry, utilizing a smart position and temperature transmitter (SPOT) attached to her dorsal fin. Over the course of four years, the tag provided invaluable location transmissions. The use of satellite telemetry has considerably enhanced our understanding of animal movements, particularly among marine species. This technology has enabled researchers to unravel long-term movement patterns and identify crucial marine animal habitats.

The whale shark Rio Lady.

The whale shark Rio Lady. Credit: University of Rhode Island

“As the biggest fish in the ocean, it is challenging to follow the movements of whale sharks over long periods of time,” said Brad Wetherbee, assistant professor of biological sciences at URI and an expert on shark movement and migration, who consulted on the project. “But information on the movements of these endangered sharks is important for the management of their populations.”

Managing large marine species like the whale shark presents a significant challenge due to their elusive nature. These majestic creatures cover long distances and frequently dive deep, making it a challenging task to comprehensively study their habitat.

“Since these sharks travel such great distances, it’s important to identify when and where the sharks are located, along with what they are doing in each of these areas,” said Daye. “This way, management can take a more targeted approach so that effort isn’t wasted on areas where sharks are using habitats elsewhere. While Rio Lady is only one shark, the extremely long lifespan of the SPOT tag has allowed us to start examining some of these questions in more detail regarding what sharks do on a year-to-year basis, rather than a single year.”

Rio Lady was initially equipped with a pop-up satellite archival transmitter in 2007 near Isla Mujeres, a location off Cancun, Mexico, where hundreds of whale sharks gather annually from July through August. This tagged shark was tracked for 150 days before the transmitter detached. In August 2018, Rio Lady was re-tagged in the same area by Rafael de la Parra, the executive director of Ch’ooj Ajauil AC, an esteemed ocean conservation organization in Mexico. De la Parra’s collaboration on this study further strengthens the efforts to study and protect these magnificent creatures.

The study continuously tracked Rio Lady by satellite for 1,687 days, from August 30, 2018, to April 12, 2023. During a span of about 1,085 days, from August 30, 2018, to August 18, 2021, researchers recorded 1,354 locations at regular intervals, revealing that she journeyed approximately 27,000 miles, covering an average of 25 miles per day.

Researchers discovered that Rio Lady occupied three distinct regions in the Gulf of Mexico, and her utilization of these areas was consistently timed. Specifically, between July and August, she consistently returned to the waters near Isla Mujeres. In the area known as the Afuera, hundreds of whale sharks gathered for what was identified as the largest gathering of its kind worldwide, feasting on an abundant fish egg “buffet.”

Following her time in the Afuera area, there were fewer detections during the autumn and winter months each year of the study. It is believed that Rio Lady traveled south into the Caribbean Sea, as far as Colombia, for two years before returning to the Gulf of Mexico early in the year. Researchers suggest that Rio Lady’s seasonal migration may be typical for whale sharks that aggregate off the Isla Mujeres in the summer.

“This unprecedented track of Rio Lady sheds new light on long-term consistency of movements and illustrates the type of information that this technology can generate,” said Mahmood Shivji, professor of biological sciences at Nova Southeastern University, who collaborated on the study.

Journal reference:

Daniel Daye, Rafael de la Parra, Jeremy Vaudo, Jessica Harvey, Guy Harvey, Mahmood Shivji and Bradley Wetherbee. Tracking 4 years in the life of a female whale shark shows consistent migrations in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Marine and Freshwater Research, 2024; DOI: 10.1071/MF23147

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Tech Explorist – https://www.techexplorist.com/26-foot-endangered-whale-shark-tracked-record-breaking-four-years/86488/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26-foot-endangered-whale-shark-tracked-record-breaking-four-years

Tags: Endangeredfootscience
Previous Post

New method could make green hydrogen production feasible

Next Post

Caltech’s nanoscale device can reflect and direct light in desired ways

New approach improves right whale distribution models – EurekAlert!

Breakthrough Technique Boosts Precision in Mapping Right Whale Populations

September 18, 2025

Are Six-Figure Tech Careers Disappearing? Why Computer Science Graduates Are Struggling to Find Even Minimum Wage Jobs

September 18, 2025
Scientists reverse stroke damage with stem cells – ScienceDaily

Breakthrough Discovery: Scientists Successfully Reverse Stroke Damage with Stem Cells

September 18, 2025
New statewide SC lifestyle show ‘Palmetto Life Weekend’ to air on WMBF News – WMBF

Discover South Carolina’s Charm: New Lifestyle Show ‘Palmetto Life Weekend’ Premieres Statewide

September 18, 2025
China says US TikTok deal a ‘win-win’, will review app’s technology and IP transfers – Reuters

China Hails US TikTok Deal as a ‘Win-Win’ While Launching Review of App’s Technology and IP Transfers

September 18, 2025

Ireland Contracting Nightly Sports Call: Sept. 17, 2025 – CBS News

September 18, 2025
Trump Designates Antifa ‘Terror Organisation’ Days After Charlie Kirk Murder – NDTV

Trump Designates Antifa ‘Terror Organisation’ Days After Charlie Kirk Murder – NDTV

September 18, 2025
Study: UIS contributes nearly $1 billion to the Illinois economy – NPR Illinois

Study: UIS contributes nearly $1 billion to the Illinois economy – NPR Illinois

September 18, 2025
REO to return for UI homecoming – The News-Gazette

REO Gears Up to Ignite the Stage at UI Homecoming Celebration!

September 18, 2025
WATCH: Former CDC doctor says U.S. is on track to see uptick in preventable diseases under Kennedy – PBS

WATCH: Former CDC Doctor Warns of Rising Preventable Diseases in the U.S

September 18, 2025

Categories

Archives

September 2025
MTWTFSS
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930 
« Aug    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (825)
  • Economy (844)
  • Entertainment (21,723)
  • General (17,103)
  • Health (9,889)
  • Lifestyle (859)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (849)
  • Politics (854)
  • Science (16,056)
  • Sports (21,344)
  • Technology (15,827)
  • World (828)

Recent News

New approach improves right whale distribution models – EurekAlert!

Breakthrough Technique Boosts Precision in Mapping Right Whale Populations

September 18, 2025

Are Six-Figure Tech Careers Disappearing? Why Computer Science Graduates Are Struggling to Find Even Minimum Wage Jobs

September 18, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version