Do you know what the largest fish in the ocean is? A whale? No, whales are mammals – they breath air. A great white Shark? No, not even close. A Mola Mola / Sunfish? Those are really big, but they are not the biggest fish in the ocean. How about a Whale Shark? Yes! It is the largest shark species as well as the largest fish in the ocean. The largeset shark measured to be 62 ft long! That is as long as a typical semi-truck with the trailer. Or a huge bus! Can you image snorkeling or diving next to something like that !?!?!
This species was first discovered off of the coast South Africa in 1858. Besides being LARGE, the biologist noticed that these gentle giants were filter feeding just like baleen whales. Hence the name “whale” shark. Their mouths are equipped with more than 300 rows of tiny, tiny teeth and 20 filter pads that collect all of those tiny things they like to eat, such as plankton and krill, fish eggs, Christmas Island red crab larvae and small squid or fish. They are 1 of only 3 filter feeding sharks, with the megamouth and basking sharks as the other 2. In order to eat enough food each day ( juveniles reportedly need 46 lbs of food each day), they have a HUGE mouth that spans the entire front of their head which is different than most other sharks that have the mouth on the underside of the head. Size varies from shark to shark but generally are 5 – 6 feet wide, giving them the chance to eat a lot of food.These beautiful, majestic and harmless creatures are known by many names around the world. In Madagascar, they are called MAROKINTANA – meaning many stars. In Vietnam, CA ONG – meaning sir fish. In Mexico, DOMINO because their spotting looks like domino pieces. Just like a manta ray, or whale, scientists use these spots in order to identify the individuals. They specifically look at the skin patterns behind the gills of the shark, along with any scars. There is a website where you can identify or track individual whale sharks – https://www.whaleshark.org/
Are you wondering how these ginormous animals mate? Well, so is most of the world. There is almost nothing known about how whale sharks reproduce. Until last year that is. Off the coast of Australia, a pair was filmed mating, although it was unsuccessful. They are ovoviviparous and can carry, well A LOT of pups. One was found with over 300. When they are born, the pups range from 16 – 24 inches in length. Females also retain the sperm so that they can produce a steady stream of pups over a prolonged period of time. But as of yet, no one has ever seen a female whale shark pupping. A few years ago, in the Philippines, they did find a baby measuring 15 inches long. That is the only place in the world where they have actually seen a live baby whale shark so believe that that area is a pupping area. Scientists believe that the females mature very late in life. Since they cannot really tell the ages of the sharks, they are guestimating that they don’t reach sexual maturity until anywhere from 25 to 50 years of age.
Whale sharks are just like most of us – they prefer swimming in warm waters, and are rarely found in waters below 70F. They are believed to live to about 80 years of age, but there is no concrete evidence to prove this. Some researchers believe they can live to 130 years old! That is older than dirt!!! And these giants live all over the world – usually in the open sea, making them pelagic fish. But they typically don’t go very deep, not like whales. There are many – MANY locations where the sharks like to congregate for seasonal feeding. It is truly an amazing site to see. One of those locations is very close to Cozumel, off of the northern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. Summer season is the time they like to visit, with July and August being the best months to see them here.
If you are interested in seeing these magnificent creatures, come and visit us in the summer. And we can take a trip over to Holbox and see these gentle giants in their natural habitat… feeding on plankton. No matter what each person can see from the boat, the moment they see a whale shark for the first time while in the water, it is incredible. The screams and squeals you can hear through their snorkels is breath taking. And a memory that you will never forget !!!!!!