How do we know whale sharks are important? Ask the Sama-Bajau

Whale sharks are massive energy-crunching behemoths that, ironically, spend their lives in the most nutrient-poor oceans. Why? Here’s the first paradox of ecology that stumps most people. The richest, most diverse and abundant ecosystems have very little surplus energy. For instance, warm tropical Pacific water enters the coral triangle of eastern Indonesia long after it’s been stripped bare of nutrients. Yet this region has always been an incubator for global ocean biodiversity. It also has a g...