Whale Shark: Characteristics, Diet And Habitat
Whale Shark Characteristics
The whale shark is a species of shark. Despite this, it is very different from the sharks we normally think of, such as the great white shark. In terms of size, it’s the biggest shark there is. The largest specimen found was 12 meters long and weighed 21 tons.
Some sailors claim to have found much larger whale sharks. Some reports even speak of up to 17 meters in length. However, it is believed that these are exaggerations. Furthermore, there is no scientific evidence that such sharks exist.
The whale shark’s nose is flat, flat and rounded. This animal has a huge mouth, which can reach five feet in width. In addition, it opens to pump water and so the animal feeds. Inside his mouth are several rows of teeth, but he doesn’t use them for hunting or eating. In fact, whale shark teeth are quite small.
The most characteristic physical attribute of this animal is its color. It is a dark gray, which goes in a gradient towards the white of the belly. This type of shark is covered with horizontal and vertical lines, which resemble a chessboard. Each “drawing” is unique and typical of a specimen. Therefore, biologists use these drawings to identify animals.
These animals have two pairs of dorsal and pectoral fins. In the tail, they have a large rear fin with which to propel the swim. However, it is not an agile fish. It moves at a very low speed compared to other animals of its size.
Behavior
The whale shark is a generally solitary animal. It is rare to find these sharks living in groups. Despite this, in areas with a lot of food, three or four can be found sharing the same space.
Little is known about the habits and behavior of this animal, as it is skittish and discreet. Its sparse population and the enormous habitat it occupies make it difficult for scientists to find and monitor it.
The whale shark is often used as an example to refute myths of how aggressive sharks are against people. Not only is it docile, but there are divers who say they are playful and let themselves be petted.
food
The whale shark is passively fed, that is, it does not hunt. Its method of feeding is to open its huge mouth and ingest whatever enters through it.
There are other sharks, such as the basking shark, which advances to introduce food into the mouth. However, the whale shark always remains stationary. Thus, it pumps water into its mouth and filters it through its huge gills. It is capable of filtering up to 6,000 liters of water per hour. The gills have the function of retaining food.
Your diet is varied and depends on the area you are in. Generally, their most frequent food is krill , known as phytoplankton, and algae. However, as it is not a selective animal, its diet may also consist of other foods. Among them, crustaceans, squid or schools of small fish, such as sardines or mackerel.
All rows of teeth that are inside the mouth are not used for hunting. In fact, the whale shark only uses its teeth to chew food that enters its mouth. Whale sharks are not aggressive or dangerous animals.
Habitat
This type of shark prefers to live in warm water. Therefore, they rarely stray from the tropics. They are said to live between meridians located at 30 degrees north and south.
It is common to find specimens in the Yucatán Peninsula, the islands of Honduras, the Galapagos Islands, the Philippines, Thailand and Western Australia. It is definitely an animal that likes the tropics.
However, on occasions they have been seen much further north, such as off the coast of New York. Also, much further south, for example in South Africa. They are believed to be migratory animals, but not enough is known about them to determine when or where they migrate.
The highest concentration of whale sharks occurs in the Philippines between January and May. Due to the local weather conditions, there is a lot of food. Therefore, these fish arrive in large numbers to the coast of that country.
The whale shark is impossible to be confused with another animal. Its skin patches are unique in the animal kingdom. Also, despite being a long way from being the biggest animal there is, it is the biggest fish. However, it is completely harmless to people and other animals.
