Biology: Physiology

Whale Sharks swim close to the surface, open their vast jaws (greater than 3 feet), and feed on schools of plankton as well as filter everything in their paths. The plankton and other smaller organisms flow through the gill plates and channels and get caught by the spongy tissue in their gills (“gill filaments”) while the water filters through back to the sea. This is called “cross-flow filtration”. They’re what’s known as the “Filter Fish”.

Whale Sharks are relatively slow swimmers due to their size. They swim up to about 5 km per hour for hours at a time. Data from tagging and satellite tracking studies shows one Whale Shark traveled over 13,000 km in 37 months, up to 3.7km per hour. They’re able to change their swimming and diving patterns to match their environment. (This image shows one female who traveled just over 15,000 km in 20 months.)

Whale Sharks are ectothermic, meaning their bodies cannot control its homeostasis or temperature on its own, and relies on the environment or outside conditions to do so. They only inhabit water from 21 - 30 degrees Celsius (or 70 - 86 degrees Fahrenheit).

Whale Sharks are anaerobic, meaning they don't require oxygen to survive. Their bodies have developed a way to obtain oxygen from water through their gills. Red muscles require oxygen, white muscle does not, and like other sharks, whale sharks have white muscle.