Now that you’ve learned some facts about whale sharks, your interest in getting out on the water and seeing other marine mammals for yourself has probably peaked. To protect their peepers, whale sharks have scale-like structures surrounding their iris, and their armored eyes can retract into their sockets when needed. These tiny teeth help them consume shrimp, fish, and their all-time favorite meal: plankton. Whale sharks don’t bite or chew, but they have approximately 3,000 teeth that are less than one inch long. For whale sharks, Mexico and the central west coast of Australia are popular migrating destinations as they prefer warm water.Įven though they don’t require considerable chompers to eat their prey, whale sharks have thousands of teeth. The world’s largest fish can migrate thousands of miles, and scientists have even observed a whale shark traveling a whopping 8,000 miles in 37 months. Whale sharks typically have a brown, gray, or white belly, a flat head, and a rounded snout.Įvery year, whale sharks migrate to optimize growth and to find more foraging opportunities. The spots appear in a horizontal and vertical pattern across their entire body. Whale sharks are incredibly easy to identify as they are covered in polka dots. Thus, telling male and female whale sharks apart is relatively simple. Whale shark females are typically larger than the males, which many speculate is because they require more body fat to raise and nurture their calves. This is true for most shark species and also for baleen whales. Male Whale Sharks are Usually Smaller than the Females.Female whale sharks reach their sexual maturity at 30 years of age.
Many international markets demand their oil, fins, and meat, leading to a decreased population.Ī fun fact about whale sharks is that they live for 70 to 100 years, which is quite impressive for such a large species. The World Wildlife Fund (WFF) is working to protect whale sharks as they have become an endangered species. Since whale sharks prefer to feast on plankton, they are not dangerous to humans. Luckily, the humongous fish can filter more than 1,500 gallons of water per hour. Because whale sharks are so large, they require lots of energy from food. Their small prey gets trapped in dermal denticles and the pharynx. To feed, a whale shark gulps large mouthfuls of water, which gets forced through its gills. Because of this, only 10 percent of whale sharks survive to adulthood.ĭespite being massive, whale sharks feed on small plankton, crustaceans, and other tiny fish. Their offspring are tiny, unlike other sharks, who birth a small number of large shark pups.Ī somewhat solemn fact about whale sharks is that they leave their pups after birth. Unlike many other sharks, female whale sharks birth around 300 pups at once. When a whale shark is born, they are around 16 to 24 inches in length. For reference, most whale sharks are the size of a school bus. Their gigantic size of whale sharks even rivals that of the largest whales. The size of whale sharks can vary some, but they are known to reach up to 65 feet in length and have an impressive weight of 75,000 pounds. To learn more about whale sharks, here are ten facts about whale sharks: They were given the name “whale shark” purely because of their size. Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) belong to the group of cartilaginous fishes as their sleek bodies are made from cartilage. Instead, we often envision the great white shark-it is arguably the most well-known and has garnered the most attention in Hollywood thanks to the film Jaws.īut if you’re wondering “ Is a whale shark a whale or a shark?”, we’ve got the answer! Because sharks are considered to be fish and not mammals, whale sharks are just a colossal type of fish. When you think of sharks, whale sharks aren’t typically the first species that comes to mind.
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