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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
whale
shark |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Chondrichthyes |
| ORDER: |
Orectolobiformes |
| FAMILY: |
Rhincodontidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Rhincodon
typus |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
The
whale shark can be easily identified by its titanic
size and its distinctive coloration with patterns
of light spots and stripes on a blue to gray background. |
| MALE |
External
claspers located on the far underside of the body
- forward of the caudal fin - distinguish males. |
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| SIZE: |
Averages
4-12 m (13-39 ft.) in length; believed to reach
a maximum size of 18 m (59 ft.) |
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| WEIGHT: |
Up
to 11,800 kg (26,000 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Primarily
plankton; occassionally small to medium-sized fish |
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| GESTATION: |
Whale
sharks are ovoviviparous ("egg live birth").
In this form of reproduction, the internally fertilized
eggs are retained inside the female's body. The
embryos develop in membranous "shells."
They shed their membranes inside the female, who
then gives birth to live offspring. |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
One
egg recovered from a whale shark measured an astonishing
30 cm (12 in.) long, 14 cm (5.5 in.) wide, and 9
cm (3.5 in.) thick - making it the biggest egg of
any animal ever recorded. |
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| RANGE: |
In
tropical waters around the globe |
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| HABITAT: |
Highly
migratory; probably coincides with plankton blooms |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
No
data |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Vulnerable |
| CITES |
Appendix
II |
| USFWS |
Not listed |
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| 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. |
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| 2. |
The whale shark is the largest fish alive today. |
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| 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. |
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| 4. |
For
more information about sharks & rays, explore
the sharks
& rays info book. |
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| Whale
sharks are of limited value to fishermen, although
they are harpooned in countries such as Pakistan,
India, China, and Senegal. Whale sharks are eaten
by these people or used to treat boat hulls in Pakistan.
These animals also face the threat of inadvertently
being hit by boats as they feed. Whale sharks are
protected against the threat of fishing in the southeastern
waters of the United States. |
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|
|
Springer, V.G. and J.P. Gold. Sharks in Question:
The Smithsonian Answer Book. Washington D.C.
Smithsonian Institution Press. 1989. |
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Wlodarski, L. Sharks: From Fear to Fascination.
SeaWorld education Department Publication. San Diego,
SeaWorld, Inc. 1999. |
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http://www.fishbase.org/
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| http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/organizations/ssg/ssg.htm
(IUCN Shark Specialist Group) |
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