Whale Sharks

Rhincodon typus, known as the whale shark, is the biggest fish on planet Earth, and are extraordinary animals. They have the ability to grow to 32.8 feet and weigh as much as 20.6 tons! And even though they may seem scary, they pose no threat to humans. Do you want to learn more? If you do, keep reading because in this article, we will be looking at how the Whale Shark feeds, its habitat, and its behaviour.

Filter Feeding

Whale sharks are one of the 30,000 species that filter feed, along with scallops, clams, oysters and mussels. Filter feeding is when food particles or organisms are strained from the water. Whale sharks filter feed by swimming with their mouth (that can stretch to 4 feet wide, as long as 2 mini fridges!) wide open. They take big gulps of water and filter the water out of their mouths through their large gills, leaving only delicious food.  They can neither bite nor chew, so they inhale their food. This means they can only eat small shrimp, fish and plankton. 

Whale sharks' eyes are on each side of their head, making them rely more on their sense of smell to find the most food. These nostrils can be found near the top of its mouth.

Because of this efficient way of eating, Whale Sharks are able to eat about 21 kilos (46 pounds) of plankton per day! However, filter-feeding can also be very dangerous.

Whale Sharks don’t really have control over what they eat, which puts them at great risk for digesting plastics, specifically microplastics. Studies show that filter-feeding animals are specifically at risk because of plastic pollution for this reason. 

The plastic is filtered along with their food, so when they are swimming around with their mouths wide open, they have no idea what’s plastic and what isn’t. A study in Indonesia found the surface waters where they feed are so contaminated, they eat hundreds of plastic pieces per hour. There are many consequences to this. Plastic can damage whale sharks’ digestive tracts and clog up their entire digestive system. This makes them feel like they are full, even when they aren’t. This will result in them starving to death. Because of this, and other causes such as fishing, Whale Sharks are endangered and their population is continuing to decrease.

Habitat

Whale sharks can be found in warm seas/oceans around the world. This means most of their population is more or less around the equator, specifically between latitudes 30°N and 35°S. Whale sharks migrate, so they can be found in different places around the world at different times of the year. 

Between May and September, they can be found along the Gulf of Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula, which is in Eastern Mexico. Whale sharks can also be seen in different places like Australia, Thailand, Belize, Mexico, The Philippines and most commonly, Indonesia.Whale Sharks may migrate for various reasons, including to find more plentiful feeding grounds, temperature, to give birth, or for mating reasons.

Has this article so far given you an interest in whale sharks? Has it made you want to see them? Maybe even swim with them? Oslob is a village located on Cebu Island, Philippines, and it is home to one of the most popular Whale Shark Watching places. There, the Whale Sharks are free, meaning they are not kept there, but the whale sharks keep coming back. Why? Because the boatmen hand-feed them shrimp, luring them to return. So a good population of Whale Sharks in the Philippines spend their time there. 

Behaviour

Whale Sharks are generally unaccompanied, which even includes their own children! Whale Sharks give birth to around 300 babies! This may seem like a lot, but most babies do not make it to adulthood. Yet, like all sharks, mother Whale Sharks leave their children immediately after birth, leaving them to survive on their own. 

Even though they are the biggest of fish, Whale Sharks pose no threat to humans and generally ignore us. The reason links back to the first paragraph, and this is because they are filter feeders. Whale Sharks couldn't possibly filter humans, or chew them with those minuscule teeth! Even though they are not dangerous to us, we are dangerous to them. People swim right next to them, but you can never touch a whale shark. This will damage the layer of mucus on top of them that keeps them protected from bacteria.

Whale sharks may not be aggressive, but they have other ways of protecting themselves from predators. Their white spots and gray skin allow them to camouflage on the ocean floor.

 Conclusion

I hope you learned some interesting facts while reading this article. I’m sure you would now agree that Whale Sharks are extraordinary animals. And do you want to help preserve their decreasing population? Make sure to use as little plastic as possible, and hopefully, you can share some of this information with your friends and family!