Looking Out for Whalesharks after environmental disaster

Whale sharks do most of their feeding on the surface of the ocean, which means oil spills like the BP Gulf of Mexico disaster in 2010 can be lethal for these already endangered animals. The whale sharks unwittingly gulp down the deadly oil, which sticks to their gill membranes and slowly suffocates them. The dispersants used by oil companies to ‘clean’ an oil spill are also lethal for whale sharks, causing internal damage and bleeding.