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Whale sharks, are they whales? Are they sharks? This amazing creature is actually a shark. They call it the whale shark because of its sheer size, and since sharks are fish, the whale shark is the largest fish in the world! Let’s take a look at some incredible whale shark facts:
1. The largest recorded whale shark was bowling long!
A typical bowling alley is 60 feet long. The largest recorded whale shark reached a height of 61.7 feet. Can you imagine a giant shark in the alley next to yours? While most whale sharks are not what long, mids are still around 40 feet. The next time you pass a school bus, you can compare it to the length of a whale shark.
2. Big but slow! Whale sharks swim at 3 miles per hour.
You may be familiar with Turtle and harewhat if a turtle chased a whale shark? Well, the whale shark will most likely win if he’s not distracted. Whale sharks are still slow at swimming compared to most sharks, and at 3 mph they will just beat a turtle, which has a top speed of 0.63 mph.
3. Can I ship the shark by UPS? YES!
In 2006, UPS shipped two whale sharks from Taiwan to the Atlanta Georgia Aquarium. The two female whale sharks (Alice and Trixie) were about 13 feet long each and needed to be transported in special containers that mimic ocean conditions. A team of veterinarians from the Aquarium monitored the sharks in flight to take care of them and make sure the transition went smoothly. In 2007, two more whale sharks, this time two males (Yushon and Taroko), were flown similarly without any problems.
4. Tvictories, triplets, quads … or 300 babies?
The reproductive habits of whale sharks are still being studied, but there is a confirmed case of a pregnant whale shark caught near Taiwan in 1995. During the survey, scientists found 300 cubs. Whale sharks are similar to other sharks in that they are ovoviviparous, their eggs are fertilized internally, then they hatch inside the female, and then live birth. Scientists suggest that live babies are released over a long period of time, rather than immediately.
5. The largest eggs in whale sharks, twice the size of an ostrich egg.
Ostriches produce the largest eggs for land animals, their eggs can be up to 6 “long and 5” wide. Whale shark eggs are about twice as large. The eggs remain inside the female during growth and hatch inside the female, but there is evidence of whale shark eggs being found. One found in the Gulf of Mexico was 12 inches long and 5 ½ inches wide.
6. Big shark, but tiny teeth, there are many, more than 3000!
Whale sharks have row after row of tiny teeth, an average of 300 rows. Teeth the size of the tip of a pencil (they won’t make a very impressive shark tooth necklace). But since whale sharks are filter feeders that filter nutrients out of the water, they don’t use their teeth at all. for food. Scientists are unsure of their purpose.
7. Say “Ahh!” The mouth of a whale shark can be 4+ feet wide.
Speaking of funnel, a whale shark’s mouth may be 4 feet wide, but its throat is only a quarter. So you don’t have to worry about being swallowed by this open mouth. Whale sharks swim slowly with a large open mouth, sifting through the water in search of plankton, small shrimp and fish. Their gills act as suction, drawing in food. It’s amazing how a 41,000-pound animal can sustain itself on this simple diet.
8. Lucky 100th Birthday!
It is believed that the life span of whale sharks is similar to that of humans – from 70 to 100 years, but some believe that they can live longer. Marine biologists are trying to study how long whale sharks can survive in captivity. Alice, who was one of the whale sharks brought to the Georgia Aquarium, recently died (June 2021) after living there for over 15 years. Some people are against keeping whale sharks in captivity because they cannot mimic their natural habitat, while others believe it is an important element in educating people about sharks to protect them from extinction.
9. Just keep swimming! The longest whale shark migration was 12,000 miles.
If you’re flying from New York to Los Angeles, that’s roughly 2,800 miles. A team of scientists tagged a whale in the Pacific Ocean near Panama and recorded its travels to the Philippines. It’s like going from New York to Los Angeles and back twice! This shark’s journey lasted 841 days, averaging 14.3 miles per day. One scientist, Eric Hoffmeier, wanted to study the typical migratory habits of the whale shark. His team tagged 42 sharks in the Gulf of Mexico and monitored their movements from satellite for a year. They could plan their movements and see where and when they traveled. In this study, it was interesting to find that none of the sharks left the Gulf of Mexico. Most often, they spent their time in the Louisiana coastal area.
10. Whale sharks can swim a mile deep.
They clearly have an unfair advantage in Marco Polo! The current record for the deepest dive of a fish is held by a whale shark at 1,928 m (1.20 mi). Imagine a track with an outer strip of water. This whale shark swam about four times, but straight down!
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