CANBERRA, July 26 (Xinhua) — Australian researchers have discovered that whale sharks eat plants, making the iconic species the world’s largest omnivores.
In a recently published study, a team from the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIMS), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and the University of Auckland found that plant material forms part of the diet of whale sharks.
The team made the discovery while analyzing biopsy samples from sharks at Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia (WA).
Whale sharks, which have been measured up to 18 meters long, are the largest known omnivorous species in the world.
The scientists analyzed samples of possible food sources on the reef, from small plankton to large algae.
They then compared the amino acids and fatty acids in plankton and plant material with those of whale sharks.
They found that the shark’s tissue contained remnants of sargassum, a brown algae.
“We think that over evolutionary time, whale sharks have developed the ability to digest some of this sargassum that gets into their guts,” AIMS fish biologist Mark Meekan said in a news release.
“So the view we have of whale sharks coming to Ningaloo just to feast on this little krill is only half the story. In fact, they’re also eating a fair amount of algae.” Let’s end