WHALE SHARK
Rhincodon typus

Whale Shark Classification

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)
Phylum: Chordata
SubPhylum: Vertebrata (vertebrates)
Class: Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish)
Subclass: Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays)
Order: Orectolobiformes.
Family: Rhincodontidae
Genus: Rhincodon
Species: typus

General Description

The whale shark is the biggest shark in the deep. It is called the Whale shark, but in the fact it's not a whale. It has a huge mouth up to 4 feet (1.4 m) wide. They have a front side mouth (not on the underside of the head like most sharks). It has a wide, flat head, a rounded snout, small eyes, 5 large gill slits, 2 dorsal fins (on the back) and 2 pectoral fins (on both sides). The spiracle (the first gill slit that used for breathing when the shark is resting on the sea floor) is located just behind the shark's eye. Its tail has a top fin much larger than the lower fin.
The whale shark has distinctive light-yellow markings (random stripes and dots) on its very thick dark gray skin. Its skin is up to 4 inches (10 cm) thick. There are three prominent ridges running along each side of the shark's body.
This enormous shark is a filter feeder and sieves enormous amounts of plankton to eat through its gills as it swims.
Diet And Feeding Habit
The whale shark is a filter feeder that sieves small animals from the water. As it swims with its mouth open, it sucks masses of water filled with prey into its mouth and through spongy tissue between its 5 large gill arches. After closing its mouth, the shark uses gills rakers that filter the nourishment from the water. Anything that doesn't pass through the gills is eaten. Gill rakers are bristly structures (the thousands of bristles are about 4 inches or 10 cm long) in the shark's mouth that trap the small organisms which the shark then swallows. The water is expelled through the sharks 5 pairs of gill slits. The prey includes plankton, krill, small fish, and squid. The shark can process over 1500 gallons (6000 liters) of water each hour.

Habitat
Whale sharks live in warm water (near the equator) both along the coast and in the open seas. They spend most of their time near the surface.

Distribution

Whale sharks are found worldwide in the warm oceans from the equator to about ±30-40° latitude. The shark is often seen by divers in The Bay Islands in Honduras, Thailand, the Philippines, the Maldives, the Red Sea, Western Australia (Ningaloo Reef and Christmas Island), Gladden Spit Marine Reserve in Belize, Tofo Beach in Mozambique, Sodwana Bay (Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park) in South Africa and at the Galapagos Islands. Lucky divers have also come across whale sharks in the Seychelles and in Puerto Rico. Between December and September, they are well known to swim along the bay of La Paz in Mexico's Baja California. Sometimes, they are accompanied by smaller fish, in particular, the remora.
Recently, they have been seen in the vicinity of Tenggol Island, off the east coast of West Malaysia. They are also frequently spotted around other Coral Reefs along the West Malaysian coast including Kapas Island and Redang Island. Hanifaru Bay, known locally as Vandhumaafaru Adi in Baa Atoll of the Maldives, is thought to be one of the few places in the world where these sharks congregate to mate

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Reproduction
The Whale shark was long thought to be oviparous (an egg 14 inches (36 cm) long was found in the Gulf of Mexico in 1953; this would be the largest egg in the world). Recently, pregnant females have been found containing hundreds of pups, so, Whale sharks are viviparous, giving birth to live young. Newborns are over 2 feet (60 cm) long. Whale sharks are sexually mature at 30 years old. This is the age at which they are able to mate and reproduce.

The Whale Shark and tourism in the world
This species, despite its enormous size, does not pose any significant danger to humans. They are actually quite gentle and can be playful with divers. Divers and snorkelers can swim with this giant fish without any risk apart from unintentionally being struck by the shark's large tail fin.
Recently 150 whale sharks have been tagged and identified off the coast off Hol Box island, Mexico. The island is located north of Cancun in the gulf of Mexico. They visit the island from June through August and more have been identified every year. It's possible through authorized tour guides you can experience swimming with these enormous creatures.

Is the Whale Shark Invasive species or Endangered species?
The whale shark is targeted by artisanal and commercial fisheries in several areas where they seasonally aggregate. The population is unknown and the species is considered vulnerable by the IUCN. All fishing, selling, importing and exporting of whale sharks for commercial purposes has been banned in the Philippines since 1998, India in May 2001, followed by Taiwan in May 2007.

Whale Shark Conservation
How to help Conservation of the Whale Shark at Red Sea:

1. When you see a Whale Shark try not to disturb or touch just enjoy watching and swimming.
2. You may report the date, site name and long of Whale shark (or send attached sighting form) to Red Sea Protected Areas – Research & monitoring unit.

Contacts:

Tarek Abubakr Gamal
Tarek_Abubakr@hotmail.com
Waleed Ramadan Mostafa
Waleed_redsea@hotmail.com
info@redseaparks.net
P. O. Box 363
Hurghada –Red Sea
Tel & Fax : 065-3447724, 3447725,3447726,





Reference:
1- Whale shark –Zoom Shark (www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/sharks/species/Whaleshark)
2-Norman, Brad (2000). Rhincodon typus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable.
3-Whale shark, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_shark)