Page 60 - World of Animals - Book of Sharks & Ocean Predators

Sharks & Ocean Predators
WorldMags.net

King of the sharks

Whale shark

The largest living fish is the whale shark,

which reaches an average length of just
under 10 metres (33 feet). The largest
confirmed individual measured a huge

12.65 metres (41.5 feet) and weighed
21,320 kilograms (47,000 pounds), with

unconfirmed reports of even larger fi sh.
The whale shark has thousands of teeth,
each of which is two millimetres (0.08
inches) in length, arranged in around 300
rows pointing backward into its mouth.
But they are not used for hunting. The

whale shark is actually a filter feeder. As
it swims along, it opens its wide, square
mouth, taking in water and fi ltering it
through a series of cartilaginous spines
that cover its gills. They act as a sieve,
extracting zooplankton like krill, jellyfi sh
and crustaceans.
It might seem unusual that the largest
fish in the sea would eat some of the

smallest life forms, but the second largest
fish, the basking shark, is also a fi lter

feeder, as are many large whales. Schools
of fish are often hard to find but eating the

abundant microscopic ocean life enables
whale sharks to survive on little food.
Like many other large species, the whale
shark takes a long time to mature, so it
consequently has a long life span. They do
not reach adulthood until the age of 30,
and it is thought that they might live to be
100 years old, although this has not yet
been proven.
WHALE SHARK
Rhincodon typus
Class Chondrichthyes

Territory Tropical oceans of Friendly fi sh
the Southern Hemisphere This shark is a docile
Diet Plankton animal, and can safely be
Lifespan 70-100 years approached and touched
Adult weight 20.6 tons by divers, as is shown here.
Conservation Status

VULNERABLE

“As it swims, it opens its wide

mouth, taking in water and
filtering it through cartilaginous

spines that cover its gills ”

60
WorldMags.net
WorldMags.net