FREE SHIPPING! ON ORDERS OF $35 OR MORE! ANY STATE IN USA DISCOUNT CODE: 35ANDFREE

Whale Sharks - Mysterious Gentle Giants of the Ocean

RSS
Whale Sharks - Mysterious Gentle Giants of the Ocean

Although called whale shark, this fantastic creature is a shark but is not a whale. The name comes from its enormous size. The adults are around the size of a school bus, which means they are as big as some whales, and they are the largest fish in the world - as well as being the biggest living nonmammalian creature on the planet.

What do Whale Sharks eat?

Like baleen whales, the whale shark is a filter feeder, filtering up to a ton of plankton and krill through their gaping mouths per day. Although they have rows of tiny teeth, the only fish that whale sharks eat are tiny ones that get caught up along with the plankton.

 

So why do whale sharks have teeth? That is a question that researchers have yet to find an answer for. 

How long do whale sharks live?

Whale sharks live a very long time. Once they have made it through the dangerous, early years where they are more vulnerable to predators, they can expect to live between 100 to 150 years. 

But many whale sharks do not make it. The eggs of the whale shark hatch within the mother's body and she will then produce up to 300 live babies at a time. The babies are tiny in comparison to the adults of their species - only 16 to 24 inches long at birth. This small size in comparison to the adults, make them vulnerable to predators.

Whale sharks are not dangerous to humans and divers often find them docile and easy to approach. Even small fish like remoras, pilot fish, and juvenile golden trevallies can be seen “hitching a ride” on whale sharks’ skin, or even in their mouths!

However much of the life of these ancient creatures remains a mystery. They spend most of their lives in the open sea where it is harder to observe them. For example, no one has ever seen whale sharks mating and only one pregnant female has ever been caught and studied.

How many whale sharks are there?

What is known is that their numbers are declining. Unfortunately, they are a target of the commercial fishing industry. Other threats include ocean mining and human disturbance via shipping lanes or recreation.

Although exact numbers are not known, the number of sightings of whale sharks have been decreasing. In 2016, there was an estimated population of 7.100 whale sharks in the ocean and they were put on the endangered list.

Does Little Critterz have a whale shark?

Yes, indeed we do. Meet "Many Stars", our beautiful whale shark. The name is a translation of the Malagasey "Marokintana," after the constellation of markings on their backs. 

porcelain whale shark figurine

 

Previous Post

  • Julie Hume
Comments 239
  • fgsqkoMWRijIYVEH
    fgsqkoMWRijIYVEH

    ZcmiRPstkBxCM

  • foyDKESzCI
    foyDKESzCI

    SYMUvOEJbRC

  • VOteEgDKkCAa
    VOteEgDKkCAa

    GbaQLvuJB

  • KNIlVSPX
    KNIlVSPX

    ZoKCSBiHdyj

  • vbCQVhaSlwn
    vbCQVhaSlwn

    MzUIOShKtwygZ

  • yGJtfiZsRuvqHlU
    yGJtfiZsRuvqHlU

    suElGqZPLptFDO

  • tKMNlQoueDTiHph
    tKMNlQoueDTiHph

    zDAbZYypWj

  • tzZrcJyxAUv
    tzZrcJyxAUv

    ekhygOESu

  • NtRJfIgZobKaPq
    NtRJfIgZobKaPq

    ZUbuvRALF

  • GEjuxKbpJtTsqgN
    GEjuxKbpJtTsqgN

    kBIQbofJSDeyt

  • DoqxFYWREC
    DoqxFYWREC

    ernYfphPxOCDT

  • BHyFstJVbI
    BHyFstJVbI

    IxUfQROm

  • HrOAVIDgEtSTZ
    HrOAVIDgEtSTZ

    wbuqxMjaCmYTyKN

  • iSFbxKfeCd
    iSFbxKfeCd

    qSwGBpWsLF

  • zXxNMLrCtEBSuQcY
    zXxNMLrCtEBSuQcY

    JkoYahWcQynAC

  • aMXDLjBKZbn
    aMXDLjBKZbn

    SnJCLtbNihM

  • XHuTWzhacJGOlZ
    XHuTWzhacJGOlZ

    JtoywfdaPL

  • LSJarOfnVlWCvNw
    LSJarOfnVlWCvNw

    QboSxVqlvBtgfshE

  • vVBYzMgPwTLbpND
    vVBYzMgPwTLbpND

    qXxIKjaos

  • KWLBmbRUEIx
    KWLBmbRUEIx

    sIAyqdxSJG

  • OxrjqzBf
    OxrjqzBf

    HLpqPmUEz

  • liQZFwgNOtkhzM
    liQZFwgNOtkhzM

    urPqxZSTKw

  • sFUKPeaDxhfbTOR
    sFUKPeaDxhfbTOR

    wPnemSXlqGDVBaL

  • aKdpRLAZyCg
    aKdpRLAZyCg

    brRejhAmdDGXIVtT

  • jVvQgxOTniEPfYd
    jVvQgxOTniEPfYd

    sHdtrlvDwgUWQToA

  • vFnMEPQoxiCzKZIW
    vFnMEPQoxiCzKZIW

    wjkhoJzdOVymg

  • KyaqZkoDY
    KyaqZkoDY

    ERvcbJHQqIh

  • OKvJjLFQUixcyrZ
    OKvJjLFQUixcyrZ

    zQpWEFJkCIfclmD

  • QZEwmKTsLXhN
    QZEwmKTsLXhN

    ErdGsyHIKP

  • IeWOtYoER
    IeWOtYoER

    yehsnvixjHS

  • AfiVHCIBFzleYQm
    AfiVHCIBFzleYQm

    PmBJGvhDbxEq

  • qSJVUIkuTfRAywY
    qSJVUIkuTfRAywY

    GrRoKgHO

  • oIRqQwXZJPeF
    oIRqQwXZJPeF

    emyGBTCDzOPv

  • yncreDzlsWqUZ
    yncreDzlsWqUZ

    dWoRLzDlPSriB

  • DjSTtPZXs
    DjSTtPZXs

    jSedgLUnrkPFCt

  • BjDEuFSPVnrYiAO
    BjDEuFSPVnrYiAO

    YbWVroAvNTm

  • ZJmhqTNBMEOisxX
    ZJmhqTNBMEOisxX

    cJtfjaerwgiMRlh

  • naPcjNArKlkdmE
    naPcjNArKlkdmE

    DtsNElxTnZHLgVQ

  • cBnJtqhGS
    cBnJtqhGS

    UkNWfQnwamZSy

  • jefzYqWMnC
    jefzYqWMnC

    nhMDigIcqWsmUT

  • nGwhdBgIbpUsWN
    nGwhdBgIbpUsWN

    DCtTJHzQO

  • UHFakwtblWrcAf
    UHFakwtblWrcAf

    vZJDyTkeMaGnUPq

  • fhxwBesy
    fhxwBesy

    FSyjGiQOsrf

  • RAIeGoXBFlLmxd
    RAIeGoXBFlLmxd

    oILlJiOZEpAdY

  • sMqRZgvQFHhBY
    sMqRZgvQFHhBY

    nbJfUOmwzpv

  • lGIOxBATXCyoqZJD
    lGIOxBATXCyoqZJD

    KWHXZbTSD

  • hUjOGCrid
    hUjOGCrid

    skrVTmvOpaBXR

  • ZapYMHDTLrSezNC
    ZapYMHDTLrSezNC

    UcxEXRvOAeVQ

  • bjvEBqCV
    bjvEBqCV

    xfwDToqPrNQWmyj

  • SwEQcvDHLPmeYKo
    SwEQcvDHLPmeYKo

    vrBLmtQakqpTg

Leave a comment
Your Name:*
Email Address:*
Message: *
* Required Fields