Dr. Clare Prebble
Senior Scientist
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clare[@]marinemegafauna.org
Research Interests
As a central member of the Global Whale Shark Program team, Dr. Clare Prebble has been at the forefront of the emerging field of biochemical ecology and its application to movement and feeding studies. Having completed her PhD on whale sharks in 2018, Clare focuses her research on understanding the secret lives of these megafauna species. Utilizing the “you are what you eat (and where you eat it)” principles of biochemistry, she investigates their migratory patterns and true dietary habits. Her geographical emphasis is on Southern Africa, particularly Mozambique and Tanzania. While Clare enjoys fieldwork with whale sharks, she also spends considerable time analyzing tissue samples in the lab and examining data on the computer.
Clare leads the Mozambique Whale Shark Project, the Mozambique Marlin research, and MMF’s work in the Bazaruto Seascape. She also co-leads the Mozambique Acoustic Telemetry Network and leads MMF’s new whale shark work in Kenya. She was lead author of a 2025 stable-isotope study of the feeding ecology of Mafia Island’s whale sharks, which used chemical signatures in the sharks’ tissues to show that they feed predominantly within the local food web, although individual feeding strategies vary. She also co-authored the 2025 15-year time series of whale shark sightings off Tofo and a 2025 global analysis in Science of how marine megafauna use ocean space.
Education
2018 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Southampton University, Southampton, U.K.
Thesis title: Residency and Trophic Ecology of Juvenile Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus) in the Western Indian Ocean
2009 Master of Science Ecology, Evolution and Conservation (MSc)
Imperial College London, Berkshire, U.K.
Thesis title: Behavioural Responses of Wood Mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) to Direct and Indirect Predator Cues
2007 Bachelor of Science, Zoology (BSc)
Durham University, U.K.
Thesis title: The Distribution and Behaviour of Angelfish Species (Pomacanthidae) on Coral Reefs in The Wakatobi National Marine Park, Indonesia
Biography
Clare has always had an interest in travel and exploration. Being an ‘expat-kid’ for most of her formative years, she and her family lived in several countries in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Her parents introduced her to the amazing diversity of species and environments in each place and she developed a respect and affinity for the natural world early on.
While she was equally enthralled by the terrestrial wildlife of Southern Africa until well into her 20’s, it was the warm waters of the Indian Ocean that finally captured her full attention. The whale shark research project in Tofo, Mozambique offered a career of meaningful research in a picture postcard location. In the following ten years, proudly part of the MMF research team, Clare completed her PhD, traveled the world from the Galapagos Islands to Madagascar, and has since become an avid wildlife photographer.
Current research
Leads
- Bazaruto Seascape Marine ConservationMozambiqueProject leader
- Mozambique Acoustic Telemetry NetworkProject leader
- Mozambique Marlin Research ProjectProject leader
- Mozambique Whale Shark ProjectProject leader
- Yucatan Whale Shark ResearchMexicoProject leader
Team member
Past research
Team member
Media
Whale sharks feeding in the western Indian Ocean - in pictures | The Guardian
Tracking tools identify regional hubs of whale shark activity | Mongabay
Researchers use “biological passport” to monitor whale sharks | Africa Geographic
Global Whale Shark Program
News featuring Clare
Recent research
- 2025A 15-year time series shows major declines in whale sharks in southern Mozambique
- Global tracking of marine megafauna space use reveals how to achieve conservation targets
- Trophic and feeding ecology of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) using bulk stable isotope analysis
- 2024Identifying priority sites for whale shark ship collision management globally
- 2022Improving sightings-derived residency estimation for whale shark aggregations: A novel metric applied to a global data set
- Vertical habitat use of black and striped marlin in the Western Indian Ocean
- The need for long-term population monitoring of the world’s largest fish
- Pieces in a global puzzle: Population genetics at two whale shark aggregations in the western Indian Ocean
- 2020No place like home? High residency and predictable seasonal movement of whale sharks off Tanzania
- 2018Limited latitudinal ranging of juvenile whale sharks in the Western Indian Ocean suggests the existence of regional management units