The ocean covers most of the planet's surface and is home to an incredible number of species, including whale sharks. Representatives of this species are attracted to natural underwater features such as seamounts and canyons, as well as man-made features such as offshore oil and gas platforms, writes PHYS. org.

A new study by scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the University of Western Australia finds that these natural and man-made features act as migratory " These structures, the study shows, also increase the availability of mining.

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Lead author Ben D'Antonio said he and his colleagues analyzed satellite tracking data from 78 whale sharks tagged over 14 years at Ningaloo Reef and Shark Bay off the coast of Western Australia..

During the analysis, scientists compiled a map of the movement of whale sharks in the eastern Indian Ocean and the northwestern shelf. The latter, in particular, houses a number of oil and gas platforms and associated infrastructure.

Whale sharks are known to migrate vast distances and we now know that they use underwater pinnacles and seamounts as springboards on these journeys.. The study authors concluded that these underwater "

According to D'Antonio, sharks use both artificial and natural structures. Interestingly, seamounts and pinnacles can cover vast areas, up to tens of kilometers across, while oil and gas platforms are relatively small, but scientists have found that they provide similar levels of production availability. For example, there is evidence that plankton are attracted to artificial lighting on platforms.

The authors of the study believe that their results may have implications for the decommissioning of oil and gas platforms. It is believed that dismantling these man-made structures in the ocean could disrupt migration routes linking important whale shark habitats.

There is still a need to understand the details of the relationship between whale sharks and individual oil and gas platforms, such as how often and for how long they visit them. The team also believes that there are risks associated with oil and gas platforms in the ocean:

statistics show that in the regions where they are located, the risk of collision with service vessels increases. Another threat comes from exposure to pollutants from discharges and spills.

Unfortunately, there are records of fatal interactions between whale sharks and ships, and a significant proportion of the whale shark population at Ningaloo Reef have scars attributed to ship strikes.

Previously, Focus wrote that the pre-wedding ritual of the largest fish on Earth was observed first-hand.