What characteristic of whale shark distribution contributes to population assessment difficulties across regions?
Answer
They are highly migratory, traveling vast distances
The lifestyle of the whale shark is nomadic, involving highly migratory patterns where they travel immense distances between feeding and breeding areas across the world's oceans. This extensive travel capacity means that a group observed off the coast of one geographic location, such as Mexico, might later be sighted thousands of miles away near the Philippines in a subsequent season. This nomadic behavior significantly complicates accurate population assessments across different national jurisdictions and marine zones.
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