pearl-marinelife.neocities.org

Overview

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest living fish species on Earth (and they are BIG lkie they are uh 6 metres long, thats like probably as big as your house in HEIGHT here's the full info from the natural history museum website: [We don't actually know the maximum size limit for these animals. There have been accounts of whale sharks measuring in at over 20 metres in length - though some scientists question the accuracy of these reports] ). Despite the "whale" in their name, they are true sharks and cartilaginous (I know this is a big word and I had to goole this so: Cartilaginous means something made of, relating to, or resembling cartilage) fish, not mammals. They are know as "gentle giants" becuase of their docile nature and complete lack of danger to humans.

Diet

Whale sharks enjoy eating small creatures (and plants) such as:

• Zooplankton
• Fish eggs
• Small Nekton (I may have also had to google this too: Small nekton refers to any small aquatic animals that can actively swim through the water column against ocean currents. oh cool :3 )
• Macroalgae (what the heck are these names >:c Macroalgae is the scientific term for seaweed-large, multicellular marine algae that grow in the ocean wow the more you know :0 )

Habitat

Whale sharks are ocean wanderers (that sounded cool so may have stolen it) that live in all of the world's tropical and warm temperate seas. However about 75% of the entire whale shark population lives in the Indo-Pacific Ocean area. Though they are open-ocean fish, they regularly visit coastal areas, coral reefs, shallow lagoons, and river mouths to feed. They also often dive into the twilight zone to forage.

Children

Whale shark pups (children) are one of the biggest mysteries in marine biology! Because whale sharks spend their lives out in the open ocean, humans very rarely see their children. However here's what we do know:

• Whale sharks are ovoviviparous. The mother produces eggs, but they hatch inside her body instead of in the water. She then gives birth to live, fully formed babies. pretty much the same as humans just shark (which is obviously better so like
• A single mother can carry up to 300 kids at different stages of development at the exact same time.

Measurements