Page 34 - Shark

Gentle giants

Whale sharks are
the largest fish in the
world, reaching at least
40 ft (12 m) long and
weighing 14 tons, about
Humpback wHales
Whale sharks are named after as large as an adult gray
those other ocean giants—the whale. These docile
whales—which are not fish
but mammals. sharks are harmless. The
only danger they pose
to snorkellers and scuba divers is to get knocked
accidentally by the huge tail as it swings back and
forth, or to be scraped by their rough skin. These
giant fish can cruise at 2 mph (3 km/h), often near
the surface—being so large they have been run
into by ships. They live in warm tropical waters
in places where there is a good supply of food to
support their large bulk, and feed by filtering food
out of the water. Whale sharks give birth to as
many as 300 pups, hatched from eggs inside
their bodies (pp. 20–23).

0 1,200 2,400 3,600
miles

Not mucH of a bite Distribution of
Whale sharks do not bite or chew whale sharks
food, so they do not need their
teeth, which are no bigger
than a match head.

a great gulp
Despite their great size, whale sharks feed on plankton
(small animals that drift in the sea), small fish, and squid.
Other large fish, such as basking sharks (pp. 34–35), manta
rays (pp. 8–9), and baleen whales also feed by filtering food
out of the water. Whale sharks scoop up water into their
huge mouths and, as water passes over their gills and out
through their gill slits, food is strained in filters attached to
at tHe deNtist the gills. These filters are made up of a mesh of tissues
People use their teeth supported by cartilaginous rods. Whale sharks occasionally
to chew food. If their eat larger fish such as mackerel and tuna, which are
teeth are removed, swallowed as they scoop up shoals of tiny fish. They can
they need to be feed in a vertical position, even sticking their heads out of the
replaced by false ones. water and sinking down to draw large fish into their mouths.

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