#Whale shark skin#
Its skin can be up to 15 cm thick and is very hard and rough to the touch. Their skin is dark grey with a white belly marked with pale grey or white spots and stripes which are unique to each individual. Whale sharks have five large pairs of gills. The spiracles are located just behind the eyes. The head is wide and flat with two small eyes at the front corners. A 12.1 m (39.7 ft) whale shark was reported to have a mouth 1.55 m (5.1 ft) across. Unlike many other sharks, whale sharks' mouths are located at the front of the head rather than on the underside of the head. Whale shark mouths can contain over 300 rows of tiny teeth and 20 filter pads which it uses to filter feed. The name "whale shark" refers to the fish's size, being as large as some species of whales, in addition its filter feeding habits which are not unlike that of baleen whales. Andrew Smith, a military doctor associated with British troops stationed in Cape Town, described it the following year. The species was distinguished in April 1828 after the harpooning of a 4.6 m (15 ft) specimen in Table Bay, South Africa. They feed almost exclusively on plankton and small fishes, and pose no threat to humans. Whale sharks have very large mouths and are filter feeders, which is a feeding mode that occurs in only two other sharks, the megamouth shark and the basking shark.
Studies looking at vertebral growth bands and the growth rates of free-swimming sharks have estimated whale shark lifespans at 80–130 years. The whale shark is found in open waters of the tropical oceans and is rarely found in water below 21 ☌ (70 ☏). Before 1984 it was classified as Rhiniodon into Rhinodontidae. It is the sole member of the genus Rhincodon and the only extant member of the family Rhincodontidae, which belongs to the subclass Elasmobranchii in the class Chondrichthyes. The whale shark holds many records for size in the animal kingdom, most notably being by far the largest living nonmammalian vertebrate. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 18.8 m (61.7 ft). The whale shark ( Rhincodon typus) is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. Rhinodon pentalineatus Kishinouye, 1901.Visit the RUSHKULT platform to book your next Scuba Dive training, guided trip, and accommodation. They are lucky enough to swim with these amazing creatures and with NO other boats in the area! This article is written by RUSHKULT, the online booking platform for Scuba Diving. ReefCI guests help to collect valuable data about the whale sharks. ReefCI are a marine conservation company focusing on protecting and maintaining the marine environment. Would you like to join ReefCi in Belize for a 1 or 2-week marine conservation dive trip? Check out the packages they offer and contact Polly directly. Whale shark season in Belize is officially March – June, however, for the past few years, ReefCI guests have been lucky enough to swim with whale sharks from January through September.They have five large pairs of gills to pull oxygen out of the water.They swim slowly at about 3 mph (5 kph).They have thick skin, up to 4 inches (10 cm) thick.Unlike many other species of shark, the whale shark is not considered a threat to humans.Their diet consists mainly of plankton, krill, small fish, shrimp, larvae and algae among other small life forms.They consume food by swimming towards it with their mouth open engulfing the prey that enters their mouth They have huge mouths! Up to 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) wide with 10 filter pads and around 350 rows of tiny teeth, up to 3000 teeth! Wow!.In July 1996 a female was captured pregnant with 300 eggs!.
They are ovoviviparous, meaning the female carries her eggs until birth as opposed to dropping them in the ocean like other species of fish.It is estimated that they can live up to 100-150 years!.They can weigh over 30 metric tons (66,000 lb).It is not a whale, it is the worlds largest fish, growing to over 40ft.She is lovingly referred to in the area as the Whale Shark Whisperer! Whale sharks are also called gentle giants Polly, shares 15 interesting facts about Whale sharks with you Always wanted to swim with Whale sharks? Polly Alford, Founder of ReefCI in Belize, has been fortunate enough to have many up close and personal encounters with these gentle giants.
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