Whale+Shark

Hi my name is Alexis, I will be doing a report on the Whale Shark, I hope you enjoy it. http://www.ecotravelmexico.com/imagenes/whale_shark4.jpg the whale sharks real name is Rhinidon Typus.

SIZE__:__ The longest female Whale Shark ever measured had a length of 12.1 m. The largest male was of the same length and was found near Bombay (India). Photographic indices, however, allow a guess that even larger animals exist. Weight details are barely available. The heaviest speciman ever found (in March 1994) weighed 36,000 kg. http://www.sharkinfo.ch/SI3_00e/rtypus.html

DIET: Whale sharks are active filterers, meaning they actively suck in water. Their preferred food is plankton which is filtered through the gills. Since the animals prefer plankton bloom they tend to swim in water temperatures between 21°C and 25°C. Although mostly found in deeper water (epipelagic), they have also been observed in atolls and reef regions. http://www.sharkinfo.ch/SI3_00e/rtypus.html

POPULATION: The population of a whale shark is 200-400.

LIFESPAN: Data on the lifespan of the Whale Shark is limited. Taylor (1994) indicates that based on the late age of sexual maturity in Whale Sharks (estimated at around 30 years of age), the Whale Shark may be one of the longest living animals in the world, with an estimated lifespan of over 100 years. There have been two reviews of Whale Shark growth rates ie Wintner (2000) and Uchida (2000). In both data has come from studies of captive individuals held in aquaria, as well as from the vertebrae of stranded Whale Sharks from South Africa. Wintner (2000) studied the growth rate of two animals held in aquaria and found that growth rates of Whale Sharks kept in captivity were 1.1 -1.3 times higher than would be expected from an animal in the wild, possibly due to the reliable availability of food in an aquarium. Uchida (2000) notes life span in aquaria range from three to 2056 days, with mean growth rate in the latter specimen at 29.5cm per year. Norman (2004) reports on another juvenile Whale Shark with a growth rate of 46cm per year over the 630 days while held in captivity. It is likely that due to their very small size at birth (~ 0.5m) (Joung //et al//., 1996) and hence lack of defence to predation in the early stages of life, Whale Sharks grow very fast initially and then the rate of growth would decline (Norman, 1999). Some evidence of this rapid growth has been collected from a newborn Whale Shark that grew 143cm over 143 days while in captivity in a Taiwanese aquarium (Chang //et al//., 1997). http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/recovery/r-typus-issues/biology.html#lifespan HABITAT: The whale shark is found in all tropical and subtropical oceans, along coastal regions, and enters lagoons on tropical islands. It is mostly seen on the surface were divers and snorkelers can swim with this gentle, curious creature. http://www.new-brunswick.net/new-brunswick/sharks/species/whale.html

RANGE: The whale shark ranges throughout the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Indo-West, central, and eastern Pacific Ocean.

OFFSPRING: Whale sharks are viviparous, but they have no yolk placenta (aplacentally viviparous). The often found huge egg capsules are simply premature pups. Whale sharks thus do not lay eggs. The offspring are born in the mother's body out of egg capsules. Up to 300 young have been counted in one female. Their size at birth lies between 55 and 64 cm. The females appear to give birth during the entire year because the young have been found both in winter and in summer in single regions. One reason for the low catch in young animals appears to be due to their quick growth. Despite their size, they reach sexual maturity when they have a length of approximately 400 cm. http://www.shark-info.ch/SI3_00e/rtypus.html

INTERESTING FACTS: http://www.swbg-adventurecamps.com/animal-info/animal-bytes/animalia/eumetazoa/coelomates/deuterostomes/chordata/craniata/chondrichthyes/selachii/orectolobiformes/whale-shark.htm
 * 1. || Whale sharks are closely related to wobbegone, nurse, carpet, blind, bamboo, and zebra sharks. Sharks in this order have an anal fin, two dorsal fins, and a mouth located in front of their eyes. ||
 * 2. || The whale shark is the largest fish alive today. ||
 * 3. || Besides its size, the whale shark is also named for its feeding habits. Despite having teeth, the whale shark does not rely on its teeth to feed. Instead, it is a suction filter feeder - it sucks in a huge volume of water and plankton. The water is strained through spongy tissues supported by cartilaginous rods between the whale shark's gill arches. The plankton, trapped in the gill rakers, is then swallowed. Sometimes larger fishes - such as mackerels, anchovies, and tunas - are sucked in as well. A whale shark can filter 1.5 million liters (400,000 gallons) of water an hour when feeding. ||
 * 4. || For more information about sharks & rays, explore the [|sharks & rays info book]. ||
 * 3. || Besides its size, the whale shark is also named for its feeding habits. Despite having teeth, the whale shark does not rely on its teeth to feed. Instead, it is a suction filter feeder - it sucks in a huge volume of water and plankton. The water is strained through spongy tissues supported by cartilaginous rods between the whale shark's gill arches. The plankton, trapped in the gill rakers, is then swallowed. Sometimes larger fishes - such as mackerels, anchovies, and tunas - are sucked in as well. A whale shark can filter 1.5 million liters (400,000 gallons) of water an hour when feeding. ||
 * 4. || For more information about sharks & rays, explore the [|sharks & rays info book]. ||
 * 4. || For more information about sharks & rays, explore the [|sharks & rays info book]. ||

MORE LINKS: http://www.sharkinfo.ch/SI3_00e/rtypus.html

http://www.new-brunswick.net/new-brunswick/sharks/species/whale.html

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