Whale Shark
Rhincodon typus
Fun Facts About Whale Sharks
They have over 300 tiny teeth in their huge mouths.
Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world measuring up to 40-ft long!
Whale sharks has special screens over their gills to help them filter feed.
Where Do Whale Sharks Live?
Whale sharks are found in warm, tropical ocean waters. They are commonly found off the coast of Australia, along with South Africa, Belize, Mexico, the Galapagos Islands, and Southeast Asia. Whale sharks often hang out in shallow waters near coral reefs but are also found in the deeper open ocean.
What Do Whale Sharks Eat?
Whale sharks are filter feeders! They are known to eat very small animals, such as krill, crab larvae, jellyfish, sardines, and squid.
They feed by swimming with their huge mouths open allowing small organisms to float inside. They can also produce a powerful suction to pull the food in! Once they have a mouthful, they close their mouths and force water out of their gills to trap the food inside. Their gills have a screen-like covering which helps keep the small organisms from escaping.
What Do Whale Sharks Look Like?
Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world! They can reach up to 40-feet long and weigh up to 11 tons. Like other sharks, they have countershading. The top of a whale shark is generally a grey-blue color with white spots, while the bottom of their bodies are light in color with no spots. This helps them camouflage from both above and below.
Do Whale Sharks Have Any Predators?
Because of their large size, whale sharks do not have many predators once they are adults. When they are young, they are preyed upon by blue marlin, blue sharks, orcas, and have even been reported being attacked by great white sharks.
Whale Shark Social Life
Whale sharks are known to be mostly solitary. They are occasionally observed in groups when migrating between feeding grounds. We are still learning how whale sharks communicate with one another. It is thought that they communicate with vibrations and low-frequency sounds.
Whale Shark Life Cycle
Whale sharks are ovoviviparous! Baby whale sharks develop in eggs and hatch inside of the females instead of hatching in the water. This keeps the eggs more protected than they would be floating around in the ocean! Once whale sharks give birth, they do not care for their offspring. Whale sharks can have up to 300 offspring in a litter that are roughly 2-ft long at birth! It can take 30-years for them to reach maturity and their large size, which leads scientists to believe they can live more than 100-years.
Are Whale Sharks Endangered?
IUCN Rating: Endangered
Whale sharks face many of the same threats as other ocean animals. Whale sharks commonly fall victim to unsustainable fishing methods by getting caught in the fishing equipment. They are also captured or hunted for their meat, oils, and skin and, because they feed so close to the surface, they are hit by boats.
You can do your part to help protect whale sharks by protecting our oceans! Avoid using plastic and recycle when possible to prevent trash from polluting whale shark habitat. Reduce your seafood consumption and purchases sustainably harvested seafood certified by the Seafood Watch program! If you are ever luck enough to swim with whale sharks, research the company organizing the trip and make sure to give the whale shark plenty of space.
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