Know The Whale Shark
As scientists are trying to find out more about the biggest fish in the sea – whale sharks, here are some of the whale shark facts that we do know:
Names: While its scientific name is Rhincodon typus, it is called Ca Ong or Sir Fish in Vietnam and and is also a deity in a Vietnamese religion. In Mexico, and throughout much of Latin America, the whale shark is known as pez dama or domino for its patterns of spots, while they are called Sapodilla Tom in Belize due to the regularity of sightings near the Sapodilla Caves on the Belize Barrier Reef. In Kenya, they are called Papa Shillingi, as it is believed that God threw shillings upon the shark which are now its spots, and in Madagascar whale sharks are known locally as Marokintana which means Many stars. In Indonesia, it is called geger lintang or stars in the back.
About the spots: The pattern of spots on a whale shark’s side, behind the left gills, is unique to each individual and helps researchers identify them.
How big can they get: Think up to 50 feet long and 10 tons in weight (they are the largest living fish species). They have a capacious mouth which can be up to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) wide and can contain between 300 and 350 rows of tiny teeth. They can live can live for about 70 years, and are believed to have originated about 60 million years ago.
Where are they found: In tropical and warm temperate waters, except the Medeterranean Sea. Researchers don’t know why they avoid the Mediterranean. Their range is generally restricted to about ±30 ° latitude, and they are capable of diving to depths of over 700 metres (2,300 ft). Though one of the slowest large marine animals (an average speed of just about 5 kmph), they are often found in the Gulf of Mexico near schools of tuna, one of the fastest fish. Generally solitary, they occasionally aggregate in groups when feeding at sites with abundant food.
What they eat: Despite their enormous size, whale sharks are not regarded as a threat to humans or large marine species. Being filter feeders — one of only three known filter feeding shark species (along with the basking shark and the megamouth shark), they feed on phytoplankton, macro-algae, plankton, krill and small nektonic life, such as small squid or vertebrates. They filter these out of the water on bony “rakers” over their gills as they slowly cruise the seas. They lack the dagger-like teeth of the white, tiger, bull and other feared species.
Where to see them: The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta is the only U.S. aquarium, and one of a few in the world, where live whale sharks are on display. Others are Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan and an aquarium at the Atlantis resort in the United Arab Emirates.
Conservation status: The population is unknown and the species is considered vulnerable by the IUCN. All fishing, selling, importing and exporting of whale sharks for commercial purposes has been banned in the Philippines since 1998, India in May 2001, followed by Taiwan in May 2007.
This unfortunate 10 meter, 8 tonne whale shark was caught off the coast of China. The prize whale shark’s hefty load took over an hour to be hoisted in an industrial crane back on to dry land, where it was sliced into relatively smaller pieces.
Isn’t it time we let these gentle giants be?
Get a whale shark wallpaper from National Geographic here.
