Whale Shark
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· Whale Shark Behaviour
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· Whale Shark facts

Whale Shark Facts

Whale shark fact – dangerous?

One of the most common misconceptions regarding Whale shark facts is that this species is dangerous to humans. It is easy to understand how such a large fish can install fear in those who encounter it for the first time, but the Whale shark is actually a very gentle giant. It is a filter feeder that would never consider humans suitable prey. Lucky divers sometimes encounter Whale sharks, and there are no reported instances where Whale sharks have attacked divers – not even divers who ventured really close and stayed around the animal for a longer period of time.

It is however possible for this huge animal to accidentally smash divers with its big and muscular tail fin, so a little precaution is advisable. You should also naturally never take advantage of the gentle nature of the Whale shark and engage in any potentially stressful or harassing activities if you are lucky enough to meet a Whale shark while diving.

Whale shark facts – anatomy

Several interesting Whale shark facts concern its anatomy. Did you for instance know that the skin of a Whale shark can be up to 4 inches (10 centimetres) thick? The head of the Whale shark is very wide, the snout is rounded and the eyes are comparatively small. The gill slits are really big since they must be capable of filtering huge amounts of water and the Whale shark is equipped with no less than five gill slits. The spiracle is located right behind the eyes of the shark, and the Whale shark will use this anatomical adaptation to breath when it is resting on the sea floor. Along both sides of the Whale shark you can see three characteristic ridges. This shark has two dorsal and two pectoral fins, and the top fin of the tail is much bigger than the lower fin. Another Whale shark fact that distinguishes this species form most other sharks is that it is a very slow and inefficient swimmer; the average Whale shark speed is no higher than 5 km/h.

Whale shark facts – reproduction

The Whale shark facts regarding reproduction still remain greatly unknown to science. Whale sharks are believed to reach sexual maturity at an age of approximately 30 years, but this is not a definite Whale shark fact and more research is needed before we can know for sure. The estimated Whale shark life span is 60-150 years.  

In 1956, one single Whale shark egg was found off the Mexican coast. This led scientists to believe that the Whale shark was an oviparous species, but now we know that this erroneous Whale shark fact was based on false assumptions. (Oviparous fish species lay undeveloped eggs that are fertilized and developed outside the body of the female fish.) In 1996, a female Whale shark was captured and she turned out to be carrying over 300 young Whale sharks inside her body. Whale shark eggs are fertilized inside the body of the female and the offspring develops inside their mother. The female Whale shark will then eventually give birth to 40-60 cm long young Whale sharks.