Whale Shark
The whale shark is most popularly known for its gigantic size. Despite being called a whale, the whale shark is not a whale at all. The term, whale, in their name is due to the large size that is comparable to cetaceans. They are the biggest fish in the world. Many people are surprised to learn that whale sharks are filter feeders and their diets consist of tiny plankton, shrimp, krill, larvae, small fish, and even some algae. With quite an imposing size, most people are relieved to learn that whale sharks pose no great threat to humans.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Orectolobiformes
Family: Rhincodontidae
Genus: Rhincodon
Species: typus
Common Name: Whale Shark
Whale sharks are pelagic fish and live in the open ocean and eat some of the smallest creatures in the sea. They are active filter feeders and feed in a vertical position with their mouths near the top of the water. Their primary prey are krill, plankton, larvae, and shrimp found in warm tropical oceans around the world.
There are two subpopulations of whale sharks, the largest (with 75% of the total population) in the Indo-Pacific region and another in the Atlantic. Every spring, whale sharks migrate to several coastal sites, with a large congregation occurring near Western Australia at the Ningaloo Reef area for feeding.
These slow-moving, magnificent animals are quite imposing, but they are indeed very docile creatures and can even be considered playful.
Whale sharks are oviparous, but unlike other sharks, they carry their eggs internally until they hatch. It is thought that the eggs hatch over a period of time vs all at once. Scientists believe that female Whale sharks can hold up to about 300 eggs at a time.
Whale sharks are bluish-gray to light brown with white or yellowish spots amongst stripes. The spot and stripe patterns are unique to each shark. Their underbellies are white. Scientists have found that the whale shark can reach lengths of up to 40 feet, though it is rumored that there have been larger specimens. They have large, flat heads with two small eyes near the front. Their two dorsal fins are situated towards the rear of their streamlined bodies, which ends with a crescent-shaped caudal fin. Like other fish, whale sharks breathe through gill slits. They have five gills located on the sides of their bodies. The mouth of a whale shark is located on the front tip of its blunt snout, rather than underneath, and can be up to five feet wide. Their mouths contain up to 350 rows of small teeth instead of baleen.
The whale shark was discovered in Table Bay near South Africa in 1868. Whale sharks are a source of great fascination. They are used as diving attractions in many tropical ocean areas. There are a few aquariums in Japan, China, South Korea, Dubai, India, and even one in Georgia in the US, that have attempted to keep whale sharks as aquarium exhibits.
Whale sharks are considered to be endangered by the IUCN. Their primary threats include habitat destruction, pollution, sound pollution (which may interfere with migration and prey location), and boat collisions.
https://seaworld.org/animals/facts/cartilaginous-fish/whale-shark/
https://www.whalefacts.org/whale-shark-facts/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/facts/whale-shark
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_shark
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19488/2365291
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Whale Shark Figurine SKU 422129