Endangered· population decreasing· assessed 2025

Whale Shark

Rhincodon typus

Sighting evidence at Nosy Mitsio, Nosy Be

Photo: Rafi Amar · CC BY-NC

Whale sharks aggregate in the passages between the Mitsio islands September through December, feeding on coral spawn slicks and concentrations of zooplankton amplified by upwelling currents. The offshore nature of the archipelago means encounters occur in deeper, clearer water than at inshore sites — often in the top 10 metres with visibility exceeding 25 metres. Photo-identification data collected by visiting liveaboards has contributed to the global Wildbook for Whale Sharks citizen science database.

Evidence at this site

0 records within 25 km

Confidence: low

No date on file

How is this calculated?

Sighting evidence is compiled from iNaturalist observation records within a set proximity radius, filtered for quality-grade observations. “Last confirmed” is the date of the most recent research-grade record. Record count covers a rolling 24-month window. Confidence reflects record count, recency, and consistency of seasonal signal.

Whale Shark

Evidence at this site

Also seen at other sites