whale shark

The scientific name of the whale shark is Rhincodon typus , derived from the Latin words for "file" and "tooth". Whale sharks have many layers of tiny, piercing teeth that are the basis for their name.

Whale sharks belong to the order Orthodont, which also includes nurse sharks, and belong to the class Chondrichthyes (or cartilaginous fishes). It is the only member of the Rhincodontidae family of sharks.

These fish have the shape of sharks, but their mouths are in front of their large, flat heads, rather than below like many sharks. Their mouths are large, more than five feet wide on an average-sized shark, allowing them to scoop up food while swimming. Whale sharks have a dark gray upper body and lighter underparts, with a series of light spots or stripes on darker parts of the body. This helps camouflage them when swimming.

They tend to be non-aggressive, often allowing divers to approach them, and divers have no problem interacting with them gently. These gigantic fish sometimes let divers grab their dorsal fins and drag them across the surface, seemingly oblivious. They will sometimes swim up to boats and may even bump into them, but this behavior seems to be more out of curiosity than out of harm. They get along well with other marine life unless they feel threatened.

These sharks are generally solitary and live alone, except at certain times of the year when they have been observed congregating in groups (called schools) to feed, such as their annual migration to the coast of Australia.

Although this giant fish is indeed a shark, it does not hunt large prey, but instead feeds mainly on plankton. Whale sharks eat other small prey such as anchovies, krill, sardines, jellyfish, mackerel, crabs and squid. These sharks will not eat very large meals, including squid or crabs that grow too large.

It's a passive feeding method where the shark swims with its mouth open so it can suck in whatever food is available. Once it has taken a bite of food, the shark closes its mouth and expels water through its gills, leaving the prey in the baleen filter. It can then swallow the food and open its mouth again to collect more prey.

The purpose of the shark's teeth is unclear, as this species of shark does not use teeth to eat. The teeth may sometimes help catch small fish or jellyfish, but this has not been determined.

Other shark species are actually some of the top whale shark predators, as well as other large marine predators. Great white sharks, tiger sharks, and orcas (also known as killer whales) all prey on smaller, smaller sharks, however, in most cases, these predators do not prey on larger whale sharks because they are too large Predators come to the challenge.

Another threat to the continued existence of these sharks is humans. In some cases, humans have accidentally killed them with fishing nets, and they usually end up dead. These giant fish are still hunted in some countries like India, the Philippines and China, where they are used for food, oil and their fins.

Populations of these sharks have been declining, and in 2016 it was listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), meaning it is at high risk of extinction in the wild.

Little is known about the reproduction of these sharks, as these large fish may evade if they do not want to be seen. Their mating behavior is indeterminate as it is unlikely to be witnessed and therefore not well documented. Scientists do know, however, that these sharks cannot reproduce until they are 25 to 30 years old.

Once the sharks mate, the female shark keeps the fertilized eggs inside her body so the baby shark eggs have a safe place to develop. They will remain inside the mother until they hatch, at which point the baby sharks will be alive and fully formed and ready to take care of themselves. Therefore, after the babies are born, the mother does not take care of them.

The litter size is uncertain, but a litter of 300 whale shark pups (called pups) has been recorded. Babies are about 21 to 25 inches long at birth.

The lifespan of whale sharks is unknown, but it is estimated to be about 70 years old, and scientists have determined that these large fish can live for more than 100 years, possibly as long as 125 years.

about the author

I was born in New York, got my journalism degree from Boston University, took a detour to San Diego, and am now back in New York. I love traveling with my husband, but always miss my favorite little Peanuts, half Chihuahua/half Jack Russell, all the trouble. We are certified to dive so one day we can dive with great white sharks and I hope I can swim with orcas too. If my house fits it, I'll add a pig – or a sloth.