Whale Sharks Near Komodo: Saleh Bay Aggregations & KNP Sightings

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest fish on Earth — a filter-feeding giant capable of exceeding 12 metres in length — and one of the ocean's most Endangered species. While incidental sightings occur in the waters of Komodo National Park (KNP), the fish does not maintain a resident population there. The primary whale shark hotspot in the Komodo region is Saleh Bay (Teluk Saleh), a semi-enclosed embayment on the northern coast of Sumbawa approximately 200 km west of KNP, where year-round aggregations form around traditional bagan lift-net fishing platforms. Understanding the distinction between these sites — and the oceanographic links that connect them — is essential for both accurate conservation planning and informed travel decisions.

Introduction: The World's Largest Fish and the Komodo Region

Few marine encounters match the visceral scale of meeting a whale shark face to face. A fully grown adult can measure as long as a bus and weigh more than a loaded shipping container, yet it feeds on some of the smallest organisms in the sea: zooplankton, fish eggs, and tiny crustaceans. The animal's scientific name, Rhincodon typus, places it in its own family, Rhincodontidae, within the order Orectolobiformes — the carpet sharks. It is neither a whale nor closely related to the baleen whales that share its filter-feeding strategy; the resemblance is one of convergent evolution across distantly related lineages.

The Komodo region — spanning the Lesser Sunda Islands from Lombok east through Flores and Sumbawa — sits within one of the world's most productive marine corridors. The Indonesian Throughflow, a massive current transferring warm Pacific water into the Indian Ocean, drives seasonal upwelling in the channels and straits of this archipelago, generating plankton blooms that sustain extraordinary concentrations of marine megafauna. Manta rays are the flagship filter feeders of KNP itself; whale sharks are more closely associated with the Sumbawa waters to the west. Long-term monitoring programs led by WWF Indonesia and LIPI (the Indonesian Institute of Sciences) have documented whale shark presence across several Indonesian sites, refining the picture of where these animals aggregate and why.

Whale Shark Biology

Rhincodon typus holds the title of the world's largest living fish by a substantial margin. Reliably verified individuals have reached 18.8 metres (approximately 62 ft) in length, though average adults typically measure 9–12 metres. A large individual may weigh more than 20 tonnes. Despite this bulk, whale sharks are obligate planktivores: their entire diet consists of zooplankton, small fish (particularly schooling larvae and eggs), krill, copepods, and sergestid shrimps. They feed by ram-filter feeding — swimming forward with the mouth agape — and by suction, drawing water across comb-like dermal denticle pads that function as gill rakers to strain out food particles.

The species exhibits some of the most extreme life-history traits of any fish. Maturity is reached at approximately 25–30 years of age, and maximum longevity is estimated at 70–100 years. Females are ovoviviparous: eggs develop inside the body and pups hatch internally before live birth. In 1995, a pregnant female caught off Taiwan contained 304 embryos at various developmental stages — the largest litter recorded for any shark. Despite this apparently high fecundity, effective recruitment is thought to be low, and the combination of late maturity and slow growth renders populations exceptionally sensitive to adult mortality.

Whale sharks are long-distance migrants and have been satellite-tagged crossing entire ocean basins. However, certain individuals show extended residency at productive aggregation sites — a behavioural plasticity that explains both their wide oceanic range and the predictable hotspots at Saleh Bay and Cendrawasih Bay.

Are Whale Sharks Found in KNP?

Whale sharks do occur within Komodo National Park, but as incidental visitors rather than as a reliably aggregating population. Sightings are opportunistic, often reported by divers travelling between dive sites or by liveaboard crews scanning the surface. Encounters have been recorded near Manta Alley and Pulau Kode in the southern park, around the deeper channels south of Rinca Island, and occasionally near the volcanic island of Sangeang, just outside the park's eastern boundary, where strong upwelling currents generate surface plankton concentrations.

The oceanographic conditions that sporadically pull whale sharks into KNP waters are well understood. During the austral dry season (approximately May to October), southeast trade winds drive upwelling along the southern Flores Sea, cooling surface waters by several degrees and injecting deep, nutrient-rich water into the photic zone. Phytoplankton blooms follow within days, zooplankton biomass increases, and filter-feeding megafauna — including manta rays and, occasionally, whale sharks — congregate at convergence zones. March through June represents the transitional peak period for whale shark sighting probability within KNP, estimated at 30–50% on dedicated search days during this window. Outside this season, encounter probability drops sharply.

There is no evidence of a resident or predictable aggregating population of whale sharks within KNP boundaries. The park authority does not manage specific whale shark encounter sites, and operators running dedicated whale shark trips from Labuan Bajo routinely include Saleh Bay (Sumbawa) as a separate destination rather than relying solely on KNP waters.

Saleh Bay: Indonesia's Most Reliable Whale Shark Aggregation

Saleh Bay (Teluk Saleh) is a semi-enclosed embayment on the northeastern coast of Sumbawa Island, West Nusa Tenggara Province, covering approximately 1,459 km². It is connected to the Flores Sea and is characterised by high year-round productivity driven by river inputs and seasonal upwellings. The bay supports diverse habitats including coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and mangroves. It is designated an Important Shark and Ray Area (ISRA) by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group.

The bay's whale shark aggregation is intimately tied to the traditional bagan fishery. Bagan are large, anchored lift-net platforms that use powerful lights to attract small pelagic fishes — primarily atherinids (hardyheads) and clupeids (herrings) — as well as sergestid shrimps at night. Whale sharks have learned to exploit this artificial concentration of prey, circling the platforms and feeding on the organisms attracted to the lights and on bycatch organisms that escape or are released from the nets. Local fishermen in Saleh Bay refer to the whale sharks as pakek torok — roughly "a shark that seems deaf" — reflecting the animal's apparent obliviousness to human activity around the platforms.

Unlike most of the world's whale shark aggregations, which are seasonal, Saleh Bay offers encounters throughout the year. Scientific monitoring has confirmed year-round presence, and the site has attracted growing research interest as a result. In August 2024, five separate sightings of a neonatal whale shark (estimated at 1.2–1.5 m total length, approximately four months old) were reported by bagan fishermen in eastern Saleh Bay — the first evidence of neonatal whale sharks in the area, suggesting the bay or adjacent waters may function as a nursery habitat. Sharks documented at the site range from approximately 2 to 7 metres total length, with a dominance of juvenile individuals.

Tourism to Saleh Bay typically departs from Sumbawa Besar, the provincial capital. Encounters take place in the early morning hours when the bagan operators are active. Because the sharks are conditioned to the presence of fishermen and accustomed to vessel activity, they are generally relaxed and approachable, making Saleh Bay one of Indonesia's most accessible and rewarding whale shark experiences. Visitors planning a broader Komodo region itinerary often combine a Saleh Bay excursion by liveaboard with the KNP dive circuit, though the two areas require separate planning and the whale shark experience is not part of any KNP-managed programme.

Cendrawasih Bay Context

For broader context within Indonesia, Cendrawasih Bay (Teluk Cenderawasih) in West Papua Province is the country's other major whale shark aggregation site and one of the most remarkable in the world. Indonesia's largest marine national park (covering approximately 1.45 million hectares), Cendrawasih Bay hosts what researchers describe as the only known non-migratory whale shark population: the same individual sharks return year after year, making it the world's most consistent site for whale shark encounters.

As at Saleh Bay, the aggregation is tied to bagan fishing platforms, particularly around Kwatisore Village near Nabire. Papuan fishermen consider whale sharks to be good omens and have historically shared a portion of their catch with them — a cultural relationship that has persisted for generations and inadvertently created one of the world's great wildlife encounters. A 13-year photo-identification study (September 2010 to October 2023) covering four key regions in the Bird's Head Seascape — Cendrawasih Bay, Kaimana, Raja Ampat, and Fakfak — recorded 1,118 sightings of 268 distinct individuals, almost exclusively around bagan platforms. The population was strongly male-biased (approximately 8.8:1.0), with most individuals in the 4–5 m size class, indicating a dominance of juvenile males.

Cendrawasih Bay is accessible only by liveaboard. The only interruption to year-round encounters is the period of Ramadan, when many bagan operators — predominantly from Ambon and Sulawesi — return home for several weeks. Both Cendrawasih Bay and nearby Kaimana have been designated Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, reflecting their global significance as whale shark feeding habitats.

Genetic Connectivity Across the Indo-Pacific

Understanding whether whale shark populations in Komodo, Saleh Bay, and Cendrawasih Bay are genetically connected to each other and to populations elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific is critical for conservation. The landmark study by Vignaud et al. (2014), published in Molecular Ecology, provided the most comprehensive genetic analysis of the species to that point, sampling individuals from Ningaloo Reef (Australia), the Gulf of California, Taiwan, the Philippines, Mozambique, and the Gulf of Mexico. The study found that Indo-Pacific populations form a largely coherent genetic unit, while Atlantic populations are substantially differentiated — suggesting that mixing between ocean basins is insufficient to counter genetic drift over evolutionary time.

Within the Indo-Pacific, genetic connectivity among sites in Southeast Asia, Australia, and the western Indian Ocean was relatively high, consistent with satellite tracking data showing that individual whale sharks routinely traverse thousands of kilometres. This means that a whale shark encountered in Saleh Bay may carry genetic material from a family lineage that also sends individuals to Ningaloo Reef or the Maldives. It also means that conservation failures anywhere within this connected range can undermine protection efforts elsewhere — a finding with direct policy implications for Indonesia's management of its whale shark populations.

Subsequent population genetics studies have refined this picture. Research using environmental DNA and photographic identification across Indonesian waters has confirmed that the Indo-Pacific metapopulation is not homogeneous: some degree of regional structuring exists, and local aggregation sites like Saleh Bay and Cendrawasih Bay likely draw from overlapping but not identical regional pools. Long-term photo-ID work is ongoing at both sites to quantify inter-site connectivity.

Conservation Status

The IUCN uplisted Rhincodon typus from Vulnerable to Endangered on 18 March 2016, under criteria EN (A2bd+4bd). The assessment cited a population decline exceeding 50% over the preceding 75 years (approximately three generations), driven primarily by targeted fishing for fins and meat, bycatch in pelagic longline and gillnet fisheries, and vessel strikes. The Indo-Pacific subpopulation carries an Endangered designation based on an inferred decline of more than 65% over 120 years (three generations); the Atlantic subpopulation is assessed as Vulnerable given a lower estimated decline of approximately 30%.

Approximately 75% of the global whale shark population is estimated to occur in the Indo-Pacific, placing the burden of species-level recovery squarely on nations in this region, Indonesia foremost among them. Whale sharks are also listed on CITES Appendix II — regulating but not prohibiting international trade — as well as on Annex I of UNCLOS, Annex I of the CMS Sharks MOU, and Appendix II of CMS. The species' slow growth, late maturity, and uncertain reproductive output mean that even modest ongoing mortality can prevent population recovery, and IUCN assessors have noted that population trends remain uncertain due to a scarcity of robust long-term abundance data from major aggregation sites.

Indonesia's Whale Shark Sanctuary

Indonesia was among the earliest nations to extend full legal protection to whale sharks. Ministerial Decree No. 18/KEPMEN-KP/2013, issued by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan, KKP), designated Rhincodon typus as a fully protected fish species throughout Indonesian waters. Under the decree, catching, possessing, selling, or trading whale sharks or any of their parts is prohibited. The whale shark is the only shark species in Indonesia with this level of full protection.

Recognising that protected status alone is insufficient without active management, the Ministry followed with Ministerial Decree No. 16 of 2021, signed on 1 March 2021, which established the National Plan of Action for the Conservation of Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus) 2021–2025. The plan sets out strategies, activities, performance indicators, and responsible agencies for whale shark conservation across Indonesia, with annual evaluation mechanisms. Additional regulatory instruments include a 2018 decree requiring permits and traceability documentation for any commercial handling of protected shark and ray species.

Despite this framework, enforcement across Indonesia's vast maritime territory remains a significant challenge. The KKP has acknowledged that Indonesia contributes approximately 16.8% to the global shark market, and that monitoring of compliance at the species level is hampered by limited resources and the sheer geographic scale of the archipelago. Civil society organisations — including WWF Indonesia, Conservation International, and the Wildlife Conservation Society — play important roles in supporting enforcement capacity and documenting violations.

Threats

The whale shark faces a convergence of threats that collectively explain its Endangered classification. Bycatch in pelagic longline fisheries targeting tuna and swordfish is the most significant source of unintentional mortality across the Indo-Pacific. Gill nets, used extensively in Indonesian coastal fisheries, also entangle and drown whale sharks, particularly juveniles in shallower coastal waters. Although targeted fishing for whale shark fins, oil, and meat has declined following Indonesia's 2013 protection decree, illegal take persists.

Vessel strikes are a growing concern, particularly at bagan-associated aggregation sites where the density of fishing vessels is high. Whale sharks feeding at the surface near bagan are exposed to propeller strikes, and scarring on individuals at both Saleh Bay and Cendrawasih Bay has been attributed to boat collisions. High-speed tour vessels and ferries crossing busy straits add to this risk.

Climate change threatens whale sharks through multiple pathways. Warming ocean temperatures are shifting the distribution and abundance of zooplankton communities, potentially disrupting the productivity of aggregation sites that the species relies on. Ocean acidification may impair the sensory abilities and survival of planktonic prey organisms. The bleaching and degradation of coral reefs reduces the structural complexity of coastal ecosystems that support the food web underpinning whale shark prey. For a species already under pressure from direct human impacts, the additional burden of climate-driven habitat change narrows the margin for recovery.

Microplastic contamination is an emerging concern. Research across Indonesian waters has documented plastic debris in the stomach contents and gill tissue of filter-feeding megafauna, with synthetic fibres and microbeads present in samples from multiple sites. The long-term effects on whale shark health are not yet quantified, but degradation of the gill-raker filtering apparatus is a plausible mechanism of harm in heavily polluted coastal waters.

Tourism Code of Conduct

Responsible whale shark tourism requires strict adherence to a behavioural code that protects the animal from stress, injury, and habituation to harmful human behaviours. Indonesia's Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, in coordination with WWF Indonesia and Whale Shark Indonesia, has developed a national code of conduct that applies across all whale shark encounter sites in the country.

The core principles are:

• Minimum distance: Maintain at least 3 metres from the head and 4 metres from the tail at all times. The tail generates a powerful thrust that can injure a swimmer at close range.
• No touching: Never touch, ride, grab, or attempt to hitchhike on a whale shark. Physical contact removes the protective mucus layer from the skin, creating pathways for infection and causing measurable stress responses.
• No flash photography: Flash can startle or disorient the animal and should never be used. Natural light photography is acceptable at appropriate distance.
• No blocking the path: Never position yourself directly in front of, or below, an oncoming whale shark. Allow the animal to set the course and interaction terms.
• Group limits: Encounters should be limited to groups of 4–5 swimmers per shark, with a maximum session duration of 15 minutes per group. Operators should rotate groups to minimise cumulative disturbance.
• No underwater propulsion devices: Scooters, fins with excessive power, or any motorised device that could harm or disturb the shark are prohibited in proximity to the animal.
• Boat management: Vessels must approach slowly from the side and maintain engines in neutral or off when swimmers are in the water near a whale shark. No-wake protocols must be observed around aggregation areas.

At Saleh Bay and Cendrawasih Bay, guides must be registered with local marine protected area authorities and are required to brief all participants before entering the water. Operators who fail to enforce the code of conduct risk fines and exclusion from MPA-designated waters. Responsible tourism decisions — choosing certified operators, reporting violations, and contributing photographic data to citizen science platforms such as Wildbook for Whale Sharks — directly support long-term conservation outcomes.

How Whale Sharks Fit the Komodo Region Ecosystem

The Komodo region's exceptional marine productivity is fundamentally shaped by the Indonesian Throughflow, the largest inter-ocean current on Earth. This massive flow of warm, nutrient-laden Pacific water passes through the Indonesian archipelago on its way to the Indian Ocean, interacting with the shallow sills and channels of the Lesser Sunda Islands to generate vertical mixing, seasonal upwelling, and the plankton blooms that characterise this part of the world. In the channels and straits around Komodo — particularly in the south, where cold, deep Banda Sea water is pushed upward — surface temperatures can drop to 22–24°C during the dry season, with chlorophyll concentrations spiking accordingly.

These plankton blooms are the energetic foundation of the food web that supports KNP's remarkable marine megafauna: manta rays, whale sharks (when present), whale and bottlenose dolphins, and the diverse reef fish assemblages that have made Komodo a diving destination of global renown. Whale sharks, as the ocean's largest planktivores, occupy the apex of the filter-feeder guild — consuming vast quantities of zooplankton and small fish directly from the water column. Their presence in an ecosystem signals not only adequate prey availability but also a level of water quality and oceanographic structure that supports higher trophic levels. In this sense, whale sharks function as indicator species: their reliable presence at a site like Saleh Bay reflects the sustained productivity of a semi-enclosed bay system that has not yet been compromised by the overfishing or nutrient pollution that would degrade a lesser-protected area.

The Indonesian Throughflow also matters for whale shark connectivity. Currents connecting Sumbawa, Flores, and the broader Coral Triangle create dispersal pathways for planktonic larvae and, plausibly, for the juvenile whale sharks that move between Indonesian aggregation sites. Understanding how these oceanographic highways structure whale shark population connectivity — and how climate change may alter them — is an active area of research with direct implications for the long-term management of these animals across the region.

Quick Facts

Attribute	Detail
Scientific name	Rhincodon typus (Smith, 1828)
Family	Rhincodontidae
Maximum verified length	18.8 m (61.7 ft)
Average adult length	~9–12 m
Maximum verified weight	~21.5 tonnes (verified; unconfirmed reports higher)
Diet	Zooplankton, fish eggs, krill, copepods, sergestid shrimps
Age at sexual maturity	~25–30 years
Maximum longevity	Estimated 70–100 years
IUCN status	Endangered (uplisted 18 March 2016)
CITES listing	Appendix II
Indonesia protection decree	KEPMEN-KP No. 18/2013
KNP encounter probability (peak season)	~30–50% on dedicated search days (March–June)
Saleh Bay distance from KNP	~200 km west (separate jurisdiction)
Saleh Bay encounter reliability	Year-round, bagan-associated
Cendrawasih Bay encounter reliability	Year-round (except Ramadan closure period)
Global Indo-Pacific population share	~75% of global population

Myths vs Facts

Myth	Fact
Whale sharks are whales.	They are fish — sharks in the order Orectolobiformes. The "whale" in their name refers only to their size.
Whale sharks in Komodo National Park are a reliable, predictable attraction like manta rays.	Whale shark sightings in KNP are incidental and unguaranteed. For reliable encounters, Saleh Bay (Sumbawa) or Cendrawasih Bay (Papua) are the appropriate destinations.
Saleh Bay is part of Komodo National Park.	Saleh Bay is in Sumbawa, approximately 200 km west of KNP. It is a separate marine area under different management.
Touching a whale shark is harmless because they are so large.	Touch removes the protective mucus coating, causes measurable stress, and is prohibited under Indonesian law at all whale shark encounter sites.
Whale shark populations are stable because the animals are so large and hard to kill.	The IUCN assessed a population decline exceeding 50% over 75 years. Late maturity and slow reproduction make recovery very slow.
Flash photography gives the shark a better photo — it won't notice.	Flash can startle and disorient whale sharks, disrupting feeding and causing flight responses. It is prohibited under the Indonesian code of conduct.
Bagan fishermen feeding whale sharks at Saleh Bay and Cendrawasih Bay is harmful provisioning.	The interaction is largely passive: sharks exploit prey attracted to the bagan lights and nets. Fishermen do not actively hand-feed in the same manner as at Oslob (Philippines), which is a qualitatively different and more interventional interaction.

Practical Takeaways

• Do not book a Komodo trip with the expectation of a guaranteed whale shark encounter within KNP boundaries — sightings are incidental. If whale sharks are a priority, plan a Saleh Bay (Sumbawa) excursion separately.
• Saleh Bay is approximately 200 km west of KNP. It is not part of KNP and requires separate logistics, typically via liveaboard or a flight to Sumbawa Besar.
• Choose operators who are briefed on and enforce the Indonesian whale shark code of conduct: 3 m head / 4 m tail minimum distance, no touch, no flash, groups of maximum 4–5 swimmers.
• Contribute your sighting photographs to Wildbook for Whale Sharks (sharkbook.ai), a global photo-identification database that directly supports population research.
• March through June offers the best probability of incidental whale shark encounters within KNP — coinciding with peak upwelling and plankton blooms in southern park waters.
• Do not ride, touch, or attempt to position yourself directly in front of an approaching whale shark. The tail is powerful enough to cause serious injury.
• Report any violations of the code of conduct — including boat strikes, touching, or flash photography — to park rangers or tour operators with GPS coordinates and time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are whale sharks found in Komodo National Park?

Whale sharks are occasional, incidental visitors to Komodo National Park — not a resident species. Sightings occur most frequently between March and June when plankton productivity peaks, particularly in southern channels near Manta Alley and around Rinca Island. For a reliable encounter, Saleh Bay in Sumbawa (~200 km west) is a far better destination.

What is the best place to see whale sharks in Indonesia near Komodo?

Saleh Bay (Teluk Saleh), Sumbawa, approximately 200 km west of Komodo, offers year-round whale shark encounters. The sharks aggregate around traditional bagan (lift-net) fishing platforms that attract small pelagic fish. Cendrawasih Bay in West Papua is Indonesia's other major aggregation site and is considered the most reliable location globally.

Why are whale sharks attracted to bagan fishing platforms?

Bagan are traditional lift-net platforms that use lights to concentrate small pelagic fish and shrimps at night. Whale sharks have learned to exploit the bycatch — feeding on the small fish, plankton, and sergestid shrimps attracted to the light and net. This human-mediated aggregation creates predictable, year-round feeding opportunities at Saleh Bay and Cendrawasih Bay.

How endangered are whale sharks?

The IUCN uplisted whale sharks from Vulnerable to Endangered in 2016, citing a population decline of more than 50% over the preceding 75 years, driven by targeted fishing, bycatch, and vessel strikes. They are also listed on CITES Appendix II, which regulates international trade.

What is the minimum distance I must keep from a whale shark?

Indonesia's whale shark code of conduct requires a minimum distance of 3 metres from the head and 4 metres from the tail. Touching, riding, chasing, or using flash photography is prohibited. Group sizes are typically limited to 4–5 swimmers per shark per encounter.

Is Saleh Bay in Komodo National Park?

No. Saleh Bay (Teluk Saleh) is located in Sumbawa, approximately 200 km west of Komodo National Park. It is a separate marine area and is not part of the national park. The two sites should not be conflated when discussing whale shark encounters.

What does Indonesia's law say about catching whale sharks?

Ministerial Decree No. 18/KEPMEN-KP/2013 from Indonesia's Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries grants whale sharks full protected status throughout Indonesian waters. Catching, possessing, or trading whale sharks or their parts is prohibited. A National Plan of Action for whale shark conservation covering 2021–2025 was issued under Ministerial Decree No. 16 of 2021.

Sources & Further Reading

1. IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group (2016). Rhincodon typus. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T19488A2365291. Assessment date: 18 March 2016. iucnredlist.org
2. Vignaud, T.M., Maynard, J.A., Leblois, R., Meekan, M.G., Vázquez-Juárez, R., Ramírez-Macías, D., Pierce, S.J., Rowat, D., Berumen, M.L., Beeravolu, C., Baksay, S. & Planes, S. (2014). Genetic structure of populations of whale sharks among ocean basins and evidence for their historic rise and recent decline. Molecular Ecology, 23(10), 2590–2601. doi: 10.1111/mec.12754. PubMed
3. Republic of Indonesia, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. Ministerial Decree No. 18/KEPMEN-KP/2013 (full protection of Rhincodon typus in Indonesian waters).
4. Republic of Indonesia, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. Ministerial Decree No. 16 of 2021 (National Plan of Action for Whale Shark Conservation 2021–2025). Signed 1 March 2021. Tempo English coverage
5. Saleh Bay ISRA profile. IUCN Shark Specialist Group / Important Shark and Ray Areas programme. sharkrayareas.org
6. Frontiers in Marine Science (2025). Insights into the population demographics and residency patterns of photo-identified whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) in the Bird's Head Seascape, Indonesia. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1607027. Frontiers
7. First Evidence of Neonatal Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus) in Saleh Bay, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. ResearchGate preprint / journal submission (2024). ResearchGate
8. IUCN (2016). Whale sharks, winghead sharks and Bornean orangutans slide towards extinction. IUCN News release, July 2016. iucn.org
9. Adelaar Cruises (n.d.). The Whale Sharks of Saleh Bay, Sumbawa: A Nature and Communities Story. adelaar-cruises.com
10. Marine Megafauna Foundation / Whale Shark Size reference. marinemegafauna.org