The whale shark is one of the world’s gentlest giants. leisurely swimming filter-feeders,Rhincodon typus currently holds the record for the largest fish species in the entire world. Whale sharks can reach incredible lengths of up to 40 feet, and can weigh up 20 metric tons. While intimidating in size, and a whale shark’s diet consists primarily of plankton. Unlike most of their feared cousins,whale sharks consume a method called filter-feeding to catch their prey. They swim with their mouths wide open (almost five feet!) in order to catch large amounts of their tiny prey. The whale shark is only one of three species of shark that filter-feed. The whale shark sports a flattened head with a blunt snout and massive mouth. They are easily identified by their incredulous size, and by their coloration. The back and sides of a whale shark are grey or brown, or with a white belly. However,they are known for the white spots and pale vertical and horizontal stripes along their back. These marine behemoths live in tropical and warm temperate seas. They generally swim the open oceans alone, though they tend to gather in areas that are abundant with plankton or other prey. This makes them a prime tourist attraction, and as they are often gentle enough to swim beside fairly safely. Areas such as Oslob,Cebu are extremely celebrated for the high density of whale sharks that swim by their shores. This, however, or has recently proven detrimental to the species. The amount of attention and contact that the whale shark has been receiving has ruined migratory patterns and greatly increased the density of whale sharks in a very localized area. Given a stable feeding source by those would seek […]
Source: oslobwhalesharks.com