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Information about the whale shark

Despite its name, whale sharks are not whales, they are actually fish whose name comes from their huge size often the length of a whale shark reaches 40 feet or more, it is a fish the size of a large school bus.

The mysterious whale shark often reaches 40 feet or more, it is the largest living fish!

These sharks are filter feeders, like many whales and live on a diet of plankton, small krill or small fish.

Whale sharks are generally considered peaceful fish and are known to allow divers to cling to their dorsal fins to ride.

Whale shark facts

The purpose of whale shark teeth is unclear since they are not actively used. Whale sharks are known to arouse curiosity and often interact with boats.

Scientists have discovered that the eyeballs whale shark is not small teeth on them. Every year, whale sharks follow a migratory pattern that takes them across thousands of miles of ocean. Whale shark eggs remain inside the mother and hatch there.

Scientific name of whale shark

The scientific name of the whale shark is Rhincodon typus, which is derived from the Latin words for “rasp” and “tooth”. The whale shark has many layers of small, coarse teeth that provide the basis for the name.

Rating whale sharks arrange Orectolobiformes, which also includes nurse sharks, which are in the class Chondrichthyes (or cartilaginous fish) it is the only member in the family of sharks Rhincodontidae.

The appearance and behavior of the whale shark

Depends whale shark-largest fish in the world, can reach a length of 60 feet, although most specimens reach a length of about 40 feet and weigh about 15 tons.

The largest known whale shark was measured at 62 feet in 2001 and is estimated to weigh more than 60 tons.

whale shark

These fish have the shape of a shark, but their mouths are in front of their large, flat heads and not under them as is the case with many sharks.

Their mouths are large, the mouth width of a medium-sized shark reaches more than five feet, which allows them to eat their food while swimming.

Whale sharks are dark grey at the top and light from below, with a series of bright spots or lines covering the dark parts of their bodies this helps camouflage them while swimming.

Tend to be non-aggressive and often allow themselves to get close to them, divers who they can interact with them gently without any problems.

These huge fish will sometimes allow divers to grab their dorsal fins and then drag them through the water without worry.

Sometimes they swim to the boats have hit the crafts, but it seems that this behavior is out of curiosity, and is not intended to harm the living well with other marine life unless they feel threatened.

Usually these sharks isolated, living alone except for certain times of the year when it was noted that they gather in groups, called schools, shopping, such as their annual migration to the coast of Australia.

Whale shark-Rhincodon Typus-white spots of the whale's back while swimming away

Whale shark habitat

This fish is found all over the world, almost always in warm, tropical or temperate seas except the Mediterranean.

It is commonly found between 30 ° north latitude and 35 ° south latitude off the coasts of countries such as Belize, Mexico, Ecuador, the Philippines, Australia and South Africa

They prefer water in the range of 21 to 30 degrees Celsius (70-80 Fahrenheit), but are found in cold water such as 3 degrees Celsius (37.4 Fahrenheit).

While living deep water across the oceans, often in shallow coastal waters where there is a lot of food for them.

Whale shark diet

Although these giant fish are already a shark, they do not hunt large prey, but rather on the diet consists mainly of plankton.

The shark also consumes other small prey such as anchovies, krill, sardines, jellyfish, mackerel, crabs, and squid.

These sharks will not eat very large food including squid or crabs that have grown too large for them.

It is a passive feeding device, a method that consists mainly of the shark swimming with its mouth open so that it can absorb any available food.

Once it gets food, the shark closes its mouth and removes water through its gills, leaving its prey trapped in baleen filters. He can then swallow the food and opened his mouth again to collect more prey.

The purpose of shark teeth is unclear because this shark does not use its teeth for feeding.

Teeth can sometimes help catch small fish or jellyfish but this has not been proven.

Predators and threats to the whale

Other shark species are actually some of the top predators of the whale shark, as well as other large predators in the oceans.

Great white sharks, tiger sharks, orcas (also known as killer whales), all prey on younger, smaller sharks, but for the most part, such predators do not prey on larger whale sharks because they are just too big for predators to challenge them.

Another threat to the continued existence of sharks is human and in some cases kill their humans by caught accidentally in fishing nets where they usually end up with.

This huge fish is still also caught in some countries such as India, the Philippines and China, where it is used for food, oil and its fins.

Shark populations have been declining, and in 2016 they were listed by the International Union for conservation of Nature (IUCN) as endangered, meaning they are at risk of extinction in the wild.

Reproduction and age of the whale

Not much is known about the reproduction of these sharks as these large fish can be elusive if you do not want to see them.

Their mating behavior is uncertain because it is unlikely to be seen and therefore not well documented.

However scientists know that these sharks must be between the ages of 25 and 30 years before becoming ready for change.

Once the sharks mate, the mother shark keeps the fertilized eggs inside so that the eggs of the young shark have a safe place to grow. They will remain inside the mother until they hatch and at that time the young sharks are born alive, fully formed and ready to take care of themselves. That's why the mother does not take care of the children as soon as they are born.

300 whale fish babies (called pups) have been documented with babies around 21 to 25 inches tall at birth.

The age of the whale is not clearly known, but it is estimated at about 70 years, and scientists have determined that this large fish can live for more than 100 years, and possibly up to 125 years.

Whale shark numbers

There are no exact statistics on the number of whale sharks worldwide but their numbers appear to be declining dramatically in parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

I've banned many countries fishing whale or systems, but such activities still occur in different parts of the world.

In China, hundreds of these fish are illegally killed every year, at least in part because of their fins that are valued for their supposed medicinal qualities.

Oil is also collected for use in food and medicine and meat is used either fresh or salted as a food source for some people.

Some estimates show a reduction of about 75 percent of whale shark populations in certain parts of the Pacific Ocean. For this reason, its conservation status was listed by IUCN as endangered.

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Facts: The Whale Shark

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Frequently asked questions

Are whale sharks carnivores or herbivores?

Fish whale of carnivores, but they do not prey on other animals in the way that people usually imagine sharks do it. However, they consume many types of small prey, including plankton, krill, anchovies, crabs, fish eggs, sardines, squid and jellyfish. They eat only small prey, so if any of their regular prey grows too large, the whale will not eat them.

What are the predators of a whale shark?

Although fish whale adult't too afraid of predators, but sharks whale of old or diseased open her a variety of fish, including sharks and blue. They are also vulnerable to predators such as killer whales and humans also hunt them in some areas of the world.

What is the size of a whale?

At birth, whale fish are not very large, reaching only two feet in length. However, it grows into the largest fish in the world, and the average length of the whale is 40 feet. Some very large specimens were found over 60 feet long, with the largest whale shark ever verified measuring about 62 feet long.

Is a whale a shark?

Yes, a whale is a shark. Their skeletons are made of cartilage, they breathe from the gills, lay eggs, do not breastfeed their young.

However, instead of chasing their prey and tearing them into small pieces with large and sharp teeth, whale fish feed like many whale species, filtering out small plankton, small fish and animals from the water to feed on them. They strain the water through the built-in filtration system known as baleen, take out the water and swallow the food they have collected. Whale fish often swim with their mouths open to collect the food they need while swimming.

Did the whale bigger than the Blue Whale?

The Blue Whale is much larger than the whale fish. The blue whales are about 98 feet long, so they dwarf even the largest known whale fish that is only about 60 feet long. However I, because blue whales are mammals and not fish whale, the whale is still the largest fish in the world.

Are whale fish dangerous?

As a rule, whale fish are not considered dangerous and are generally not aggressive towards people. They often interact with divers or with people on boats in a peaceful and non-threatening manner. Some observers described the small whale fish as playful. However, humans should take into account the enormous size of this animal, and be aware that a person can easily be accidentally injured by an adult whale.

To which Kingdom do whale fish belong?

Whale fish belongs to the animal kingdom.

To which division do whale fish belong?

Whale fish belongs to the family of corvids.

To what category do whale fish belong?

Whale fish belong to the class of Chondrichthyes.

To what family do whale fish belong?

Whale fish belong to the family Rhincodontidae.

To what order do whale fish belong?

Whale fish belong to the rank of Orectolobiformes.

To what genus do whale fish belong?

Whale fish belong to the genus Rhincodon.

What kind of coverage does whale fish have?

Whale fish is covered with smooth skin.

In what kind of habitat do whale fish live?

Whale fish live in warm coastal waters and open oceans.

What is the main prey of whale fish?

Whale fish prey on krill, plankton, crabs and fish.

What is an interesting fact about sharks?

Whale fish is the largest fish species in the world!

What is the scientific name of a whale shark?

The scientific name of the whale shark is Rhincodon Typus.

What is the age of the shark ?

Whale fish can live from 60 to 70 years.

What is the speed of the loan?

The whale can travel at speeds of up to 10 miles per hour.