Whale Shark

The Whale Shark solely belongs to the family Rhincodontidae. The Whale Shark can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. They typically like their water warm so they will swim closer to the surface. This filter-feeding carpet shark is the largest known fish. That is the reason they are called a ‘Whale’ Shark. The whale part of its name is because of how large they can get (largest on record is about 61 ft.!). These gentle giants pose no threat to humans (like the Basking Shark) because they do not eat anything larger than a quarter. The throat of the Whale Shark is only as big as a quarter and only filters in food small enough to shallow. The Whale Shark has 300 rows of tiny teeth with 20 filter pads to assist with filtering food (they do not have sharp teeth like most other sharks do). Unlike most sharks, their mouth does not sit under their head but is located at the front. Their head is flat and wide (can be about 5ft. wide) with the tiny eyes in each corner (their eyes can see 10x greater than humans). This slow-swimming creature has a very distinctive color. Their top side is a dark gray with light spots (their skin is about 4 inches thick) and a white underside. No spot is the same. Each Whale Shark has its own identity with their spots (like our fingerprint). So much is still to be discovered about this species. Not much is known on their mating and how long gestation is. On record, they have a whale shark that gave birth to about 300 pups!

Conservation and studies on this species is still ongoing. I love the work Georgia Aquarium does with these gentle creatures. If you’re ever in Atlanta, stop on by and get a feel of the ocean right in front of you!

I will be taking a trip to the aquarium today guys so stay tuned!!

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