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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Megafauna
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1285429

Internal organs and body tissues of free-swimming whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) imaged using underwater ultrasound Provisionally Accepted

Mark Meekan1* Farand Thompson2 Kim Brooks3 Rui Matsumoto4 K Murakumo4 Emily Lester5 Alistair Dove6 Belinda Hopper7
  • 1University of Western Australia, Australia
  • 2Mira Mar Veterinary Hospital,, Australia
  • 3Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), Australia
  • 4Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Japan
  • 5University of Hawaii, United States
  • 6Georgia Acquarium, United States
  • 7Animalius, Australia

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Ultrasound imaging can be used as an effective tool to measure the reproductive status and condition of sharks. This usually requires restraint of the subject, which is not feasible in the wild when the target species is of conservation concern and very large, as is the case for whale sharks. Our study invoked a behavioural response in free-swimming whale sharks that allowed snorkellers to image internal organs and structures using a submersible ultrasound scanner linked to an iPhone in an underwater housing. We were able to reliably locate and monitor the heart and other internal organs inside the body cavity, the brain inside the head, and image skin and muscle in the dorsal surface of the sharks. The technique is evaluated as a means for assessing the condition and reproductive status of free-swimming whale sharks.

Keywords: elasmobranchs, Chondrichthyes, condition, Reproduction, Underwater ultrasound, Brain, Heart, intestine

Received: 30 Aug 2023; Accepted: 08 May 2024.

Copyright: © 2024 Meekan, Thompson, Brooks, Matsumoto, Murakumo, Lester, Dove and Hopper. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Dr. Mark Meekan, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia