Whale sharks are the world’s biggest fish and they aren’t actually a whale, but a shark. Sharks are also a type of fish.
Their scientific name is Rhincodon Typus. This is derived from the Greek words rhinos (rasp) and don (tooth). And the word typos is from the Latin word, type – which means the whale shark is the 1st or foundational member of its species.
They can grow up to 20 meters and weigh like 40 tons!
Each whale shark has a unique constellation pattern, just like our fingerprints.
They cannot bite or chew, they’re filter feeders through their gills and have around 3,000 tiny teeth to help them crush their food
They don’t have eyelids, so you’ll never get winked at by a whale shark! 🙂
They have teeth (dermal denticles) on their eyes (a bit like bees) to protect them from damage.
They eat krill, plankton and small fish by filter feeding. They often feed need the surface which means they can also ingest floating plastics.
They’re a gentle giant, have never hurt a human and can live to over 100 years old.
Whale sharks are ovoviviparous which means they lay eggs inside, which hatch and then they give birth to live babies about 50cm long.
Whale sharks are on the IUCN’s endangered red list with populations thought to be decreasing
What you can do to help:
Learn about Whale Sharks here on the Red List.
Visit them using tours that operate ethically and sustainably.
Post them on your socials, they’re so cute 🥰
Drive slowly in your boats when they’re in the area. Use a drone to search ahead
Only eat sustainably caught seafood
Donate to organisations that do actual ocean conservation or whale shark research
Respect our beautiful oceans.
