Twenty-two hours of video footage recorded from the backs of ten whale sharks has uncovered six new feeding techniques that had never been documented before. The footage reveals that these massive fish, which are the largest in the world, spend most of their time feeding below the surface, where they are out of sight of observers. This finding challenges previous assumptions about whale shark behavior, which was poorly understood due to the difficulty of tracking them at depth. Cameras attached directly to their backs have provided a unique view into this previously unexplored aspect of their lives, creating the most detailed record of their behavior to date. Until now, whale sharks were mainly studied from boats, planes, or by divers swimming alongside them. These methods have a common limitation: they can only track the animals when they are near the surface. To overcome this, researchers attached cameras to ten whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. This allowed them to collect over twenty-two hours of footage from the sharks' own perspective. These recordings were combined with the analysis of 106 previous studies to create an ethogram, a detailed list of the species' behaviors. The resulting inventory includes 36 distinct behaviors, 12 of which are related to feeding. Six of these feeding behaviors had never been observed before. The findings were published on July 21 in the journal Marine Biology. Whale sharks use a variety of feeding techniques to survive in nutrient-poor environments. Researchers have discovered that these sharks are highly adaptable, using different feeding strategies and movements to find food. The videos show several feeding methods. The whale shark filters water while moving through the open ocean. It descends while gliding and continues to feed. Then it rises toward the surface with its mouth open. Finally, it glides along the seabed while filtering water. This slow and steady feeding at depth has been found to be one of the most common activities for the species. Earlier research had hinted at this behavior. A study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology in 2020 estimated that whale sharks could spend up to 20% of their day feeding at depth, compared to less than 1% at the surface. As top predators, whale sharks play a crucial role in marine ecosystems. A study on a Pacific atoll showed that they transport large amounts of nitrogen, a natural fertilizer, from open ocean zones to shallower waters. Philip Motta, an emeritus professor of biology at the University of Florida, who was not involved in the study, considers these images very valuable. The variety of feeding behaviors had been poorly documented until now. These observations raise a fundamental question: how does a species as large as the whale shark, which can grow up to 18 meters in length, survive on tiny prey such as krill, fish eggs, and plankton in nutrient-poor tropical waters? The ability to switch between multiple feeding techniques may explain this survival strategy. Even though the footage was recorded from the back of the sharks, it only captures part of their activity. These sharks can dive hundreds of meters into the deep, where sunlight disappears and conventional cameras stop working. According to Philip Motta, the most important discoveries might be about what these animals are doing during their deepest dives, which remain largely unknown.