Species: Rhincodon typus
Size: 10 meters
Sex: Female
First sighted date: 21/07/2024
First sighted location: Galapagos Islands
Scars: big scar on her dorsal fin
ID: G549 / GD240621-1
Tag ID: 262715
Elise is a special whale shark, not only because of her size but also because of her incredible journey. She was first tagged during our June expedition and has since become the whale shark that has traveled the farthest west of any we’ve ever tracked—an astounding 18,000 kilometers into the Pacific Ocean. Elise’s unique journey offers valuable insights into the migration patterns of whale sharks, giving scientists more data about their vast routes across the ocean. Her distinctive markings include a large notch on her dorsal fin and a missing tip on her left pectoral fin, making her easy to identify. Explore more details about Elise here (link to sharkbook):
Updates:
Resighted on 28/07/2024 (link): during a dive liveaboard another photo-ID was taken.
In a historic and groundbreaking event, a tagged whale shark has returned to the Galapagos after an incredible ~7 month (210-day) journey across the Pacific Ocean (Image 1). Elise #262715 was tagged on June 21st at Darwin Arch by divers from the Galapagos Whale Shark Project (Image 2 & 3). This adult female whale shark, measuring between 10 and 11 meters, was previously unknown to the Wildbook for Sharks, marking this as her first recorded sighting in the Galapagos.
Elise’s remarkable journey, now covering >18,000 kilometres (surface track) over the course of just under 11 months, illustrates the vast distances whale sharks are capable of traveling. Her path initially took her north-westward, traveling a straight-line distance of 4,226 kilometers from where she was tagged at Darwin Island (Lat: 1.665178°, Lon: -91.987012°) (Image 4). This underscores the urgent need for the establishment of more marine protected areas and the enforcement of high seas policies to safeguard migratory species like whale sharks.
Currently, Elise has been observed off the west and south sides of the Galapagos Archipelago for the past 3 months, within an upwelling zone, suggesting potential foraging behavior (Image 5). This new movement could reveal previously unknown habitat use in the Galapagos for whale sharks, providing vital insights into their behaviour in the region. She has now headed north and the hope is that her track will reach the 1 year mark and she might soon return to Darwin Arch where she was tagged, at that time, creating a truly historic event.
The Galapagos Whale Shark Project team with the Galapagos National Park will continue to track Elise and gather data to enhance our understanding of whale shark habitat use and migration patterns.
