Characteristics of the Whale Shark
One of the most outstanding characteristics of this species is its completely white belly and its back that is quite dark grayish in comparison to other types of shark, which has an infinity of whitish or yellowish spots and lines. Because these marks are unique to each whale shark, they can be used to differentiate between them and carry out a census of the area where they reside. The skin of a whale shark can measure up to 10 centimeters thick, which is why it is hunted in many parts of the world for local gastronomy, even if it is punishable by law.
The body of this shark is hydrodynamic, that is, its body is designed to reduce resistance to water. In addition, it has an elongated and robust shape, with various longitudinal projections on the head and back. The appearance of the head of the whale shark is wide and flattened, on the sides are its two tiny eyes and behind these are located the spiracles (breathing hole of some animals), which refers to its name.
Despite this, the whale shark breathes in a rather peculiar way that differentiates it from a normal whale. Whales breathe air and often come to the surface to get oxygen. Otherwise, they can drown in the water. On the other hand, whale sharks get oxygen by filtering the water through their gills, this type of shark can even suffocate being out of the water. This species consists of five pairs of gills with huge slits.
Like the gills, its mouth is gigantic, reaching around 1,5 meters wide, which means that it is capable of holding up to an entire seal inside its mouth if it so desires. Another feature that differentiates this species from whales is that they have a large number of tiny teeth in their jaws. However, these do not play a very important role in the feeding process of the whale shark.
These have a pair of very powerful and immense dorsal fins and pectoral fins, especially the latter. The tail of these sharks exceeds 2,5 meters on both sides. Generally, in young specimens the upper tail is much larger than the lower fin. In contrast, the tail of adult whale sharks has a crescent shape, which gives them great propulsion when swimming.
However, this species is not as adept at swimming as it uses its entire body to do so, a rare practice among fish. This behavior results in it moving at a speed of approximately 5 kilometers per hour (km/h), a very slow speed considering that it is a large scale shark. That is why it feeds, it does not hunt but calmly absorbs the food it needs.
Sharks generally don't sleep and this shark is no exception. They need to keep moving to keep up with the flow of water on their gills. However, sometimes whale sharks do rest as a part of their brain goes into a resting mode. The largest specimen observed in recorded history was apprehended on November 11, 1947, in a town near Karachi, Pakistan on the island of Baba. This whale shark was 12 meters long and weighed more than 21 tons.
Despite this, there are plenty of testimonies about much larger whale sharks with a length of up to more than 18 meters. These are very popular in the literature of many regions of the world, but at no time have there been scientific records to support such an assertion. An Irish botanist named Edward Perceval Wright, in the year 1868 observed some whale sharks in the Seychelles Islands, and guaranteed to have seen several that were between 15 and 21 meters long.
On the other hand, Hugh McCormick Smith, an American ichthyologist, claimed in a 1925 publication that during his stay in Thailand in 1919 he saw a gigantic whale shark that was trapped in a fish trap made of bamboo. According to Smith, this specimen measured about 17 meters and weighed around 37 tons, later exaggerating the figure even more and saying that it weighed about 43 tons.
Even, on occasions there have been advertisements where the length of whale sharks of 23 meters is highlighted. While the Maurguani ship was sailing in the South Pacific Ocean in 1934, she came across a whale shark, which hit her and caused her to be trapped. After this event, the crew members of said ship assured that the shark measured around 17 meters but, in the same way, since there is no documentation that supports it, this only remains in history as legends of the sea.
Behavior
One of the most outstanding behaviors of the whale shark is that this is a fairly solitary animal, it is unusual to find them in large groups. However, in areas where there is a lot of food for this species, such as krill or algae, there can be between three and four in the same place. On occasions where this shark has had contact with divers, the myth of the aggressiveness of sharks towards people is disproved, they assert that it is not only extremely docile but also quite playful and let them caress them.
In addition to this, there is not much information about the behavior of the whale shark, since they are very shy and elusive. As a consequence of the hunting of this specimen, which is causing them to be in danger of extinction and the number of their population is being reduced, together with the enormous expanses of water where they live, it becomes an uphill practice for scientists. monitoring of this species.
Habitat
Whale sharks tend to inhabit warm waters, preferring seas and oceans near the tropics, and rarely stray far from these areas. However, specimens of this species can sometimes be seen in colder, northern locations, such as off the coast of New York. Generally speaking, they live between the meridians located 30 degrees north and south. Although there are reports that whale sharks have certain migratory patterns, it is still not known with certainty when and where they migrate.
This species is considered pelagic fish, that is, a species that lives in medium waters or near the surface. The largest aggregation of whale sharks takes place in the Philippines between January and May, in hot and very dry seasons. Due to the weather conditions that occur in the place there is an abundance of food for this type of sharks, therefore, they decide to move to the coasts of this country.
As a consequence of their uncertain migratory pattern, in some seasons of the year they travel long distances to coastal towns such as; Batangas and Donsol in the Philippines, Utila in Honduras, Tanzania, the Yucatan and Baja California peninsulas, the island of Holbox in Quintana Roo, Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, the Las Perlas archipelago in Panama and the coasts of Venezuela (Ocumare de la Coast).
However, there are less frequent areas to see them as they are; the Gulf of Mexico, the Sea of Cortez, Hawaii, Papua New Guinea, northern Galapagos, Cocos, Malpeco, the Maldives, the Andaman Sea, Indonesia, South Africa, Natal, and the Red Sea. Although it is more common to find them in the sea at a depth of 700 meters, they can also be found in lagoons, coral atolls and near the mouths of rivers.
Immigration
There are scientific studies which have been in charge of observing the migratory patterns of the whale shark in Mexico. Two studies have been carried out in parallel, one in the southeast of this country and another in the northwest, in which it was found that there are no specific patterns in terms of their migration process. Around 20% of young whale sharks that arrive in the Gulf of California are later distributed between the Bay of La Paz and the Bay of Los Angeles. These make a route of approximately 2000 and 5000 kilometers.
These animals make the journey and try to stay within the gulf to protect themselves from predators and also to find food. Meanwhile, adult male whale sharks move south, and pregnant females leave the Gulf of California. A nine-month study funded by the National Geographic Society was conducted at the Mote Marine Laboratory, resulting in provisional satellite mapping of this species' migratory routes.
It was observed that between the months of May and September, in an area to the northeast of the Yucatan Peninsula, up to 800 whale sharks congregate. These animals even return to that place after 6 years or, they return annually to later divide into small groups in the vicinity. However, to this day it is not known with certainty what they do and where they live during the coldest times of the year. Although this specimen can be seen in twelve other locations, such as in Australia, Indonesia or Belize, there is no comparison with the number found in the Caribbean region.
Food
The name of this shark, whale shark, also refers to its way of feeding. Despite the general belief that sharks can feed on humans, they are not a great danger to our physical integrity. Like the basking shark and the largemouth shark, the whale shark feeds through a water filtering mechanism that absorbs different marine species.
Although it has numerous teeth, it does not influence the feeding process in any way. This type of shark feeds passively, in other words, it is not an animal that hunts. Unlike others, this fish remains in a state of absolute stillness and pumps out a large amount of water, which is then filtered through its gill combs. During this short period of time when it closes its mouth and unfolds its gills, the plankton are trapped in the dermal denticles (structures found on the body surface of fish that replace scales in sharks).
Reproduction
Whale sharks are ovoviviparous animals, that is, animals that complete their embryonic development inside an egg, they remain inside the mother's body until the embryo is fully developed and can hatch. According to a scientific report made in 1910, through observations of a female of this species, it was erroneously concluded that they were viviparous beings.
Later, in 1956, another study was carried out in Mexico, in which it was again erroneously determined that they were oviparous animals. However, by July 1996 the above was refuted, due to the fact that on the coast of Taiwan there was a female of this species that had about 300 eggs (the largest number recorded in history), which ended up verifying that the Whale sharks are ovoviviparous animals.
Relationship between man and the whale shark
The relationship between whale sharks and human beings is considered quite good, since these animals are extremely docile and very affectionate with those around them. Sometimes, due to their calm and peaceful temperament, they tend to be playful with the people around them, as long as they do not seek to hurt them, if so, they become alarmed and leave the place as soon as possible.
There are even videos and reports that document the practice of this species, from time to time they come to the surface so that the divers caress their bellies and thus eliminate some parasites. By far the most dangerous thing that can happen is divers being knocked unconscious by their tails. Therefore, the belief that sharks are predators of people is demystified, this animal does not pose any danger to humans.
Divers and tourists can often see specimens of this shark from small boats. It is very common to see them in Caribbean regions such as the Bay Islands in Honduras, the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, and Holbox Island on the Yucatán Peninsula. They are also found in other parts of the world: in the Red Sea between Africa and Asia, Tofo Beach in Mozambique, Thailand, the Philippines, and Sodwana Bay in South Africa. In Australian locations such as Christmas Island and the Ningaloo Coast, the ecotourism industry has made them a valuable resource for the conservation of this species.
State of conservation
The first factor that threatens the conservation status of this marine animal is its late sexual maturity, since this acts as an impediment to the rapid and natural replacement of deceased specimens. However, despite the fact that the whale shark is extremely harmless to humans, it has entered the list of animals in danger of extinction due to its high hunting demand.
The total population of this species is uncertain, however, according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) it is considered a species with a rather hopeless conservation status. Even knowing that it is prohibited and penalized by law; fishing, sale, import and export of this species, in coastal areas there is still indiscriminate hunting of whale sharks. In countries such as the Philippines and Taiwan, laws have been applied for many years against this injustice, since hundreds of specimens were hunted annually for gastronomy and medicine.
Importance of preserving endangered animals
Despite the fact that we constantly hear experts talking about how important the conservation of species is for the planet, it seems that it is still not totally clear to us. Our grain of sand to help improve the reproduction of specimens that are in danger of extinction is extremely necessary. All humans have a responsibility to protect the biodiversity that surrounds us.
The belief that this does not affect us as individual beings could be true, but after all this evil does seriously affect us as a society. Among the main reasons where the importance of the preservation of the different animal species lies are; animal life implies an essential network of species, which is completely interconnected with us. In addition, animal life provides us with essential natural services for our survival, such as medicinal and food resources and natural heritage.
Remember that biodiversity is beneficial for the development of ecosystems and that threatening the right of others to life, to love and above all, to respect, is to be against their well-being. Sometimes we behave in such an illogical way that we forget that it is essential to protect any animal species around us. Let's not let the desire to increase our power, resources and spaces prevent us from giving genuine and affectionate care to everything around us.
Whale Shark in captivity
Because this species has a rather hopeless conservation status, there are several specimens that are in captivity. In the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, United States, four whale sharks are protected, two females named Alice and Trixie and two males, Taroko and Yushan. Previously, in this aquarium there lived two other males of the species that died in 2007, called Ralph and Norton.
Taroko and Yusahn were transferred to the Georgia Aquarium in June 2006 to study the sharks' reproductive process. All of these whale sharks were brought from Taiwan, where they are a major hunting target since their meat is widely used in local cuisine. Similarly, in Osaka, Japan, the Kaiyukan Aquarium's main focus is a whale shark, which has resided there since 2005. In another location in Japan, this species is being preserved for study at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium.
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