The whale shark goes by the scientific name of rhincodon typus. It is truly a magnificent creature to watch with its huge size and distinctive markings. It can attain a length of 18 meters, and weigh more than 27,000 pounds. However, just because the shark is so huge, it does not mean that it a fast moving fish. On the contrary, this fish is a slow moving one, hardly attaining a speed of two to three knots. Unlike the picture we have about sharks, a whale shark is not a carnivore and does not attack people. It is a filter feeder wherein it filters the ocean water to catch small food particles.

The whale shark has a huge mouth, around four feet in width. The location of the mouth allows a person identify this species fairly easily. The mouth is located towards the anterior portion of the head, which is completely different from other sharks. Other sharks have mouths towards the bottom of the head. The head of the shark is flat, while the snout is some what round in shape. This species of shark has four fins and five gill slits. Out of the four fins, two are present on the dorsal side and two on the pectoral side. The gills are situated just behind the eyes.

The distinctive markings of the whale shark also help to identify it. It has a deep gray coloration with yellow markings on it. According to marine biologists, these marking help the shark to camouflage itself, so that it can prey on small fish. The marking are highly pronounced on the head and as a result, the head of the whale shark appears like a school of fish. It is believed that this appearance tends to attract fish and allows the shark to feed on them.

This is the biggest species of fish and has around three thousand minute teeth. However, the shark does not make use of these teeth for feeding, as it takes in the water via gills to filter it and get its food. It lives on eating planktons and small fish, and generally feeds during dusk or right after it gets dark. At times, the shark is also known to feed on squids and possibly larger fish. The shark has a special adaptation to sense the floating planktons in the water. It has a highly specialized sense of smell which allows it to locate the planktons.

It reaches sexual maturity at 30 years, and it is able to reproduce through the process of viviparity, ovoviviparity and oviparity. However, very little is known about the whale shark's reproductive behavior, as researchers have not seen it mate, and till today they have been able to spot just a single pregnant female. However, researchers do know that these fish spend their lives alone and are seldom seen in groups.

They tend to inhabit warm tropical and temperate waters of oceans across the world and also migrate quite a bit. They prefer to inhabit the upper layers of the water rather the ocean bed. However, researchers have seen them live in shallow as well as deep waters, besides coral reefs and lagoons. Western Australia boasts of several individual sharks. They are primarily seen in these waters between the middle of March and middle of May.

The good news is that divers can swim in waters inhabited by whale sharks without any fear, as they do not seem to attack them. Instead, very often they tend to become playful around divers. However, a diver can get hurt if the shark hits him/her unintentionally with its fin. Also, whale sharks are food for several other whales and sharks, and hence, their predators could be swimming nearby, which could pose a risk and threat to divers.

While there is not too much information about the longevity of this species, it is believed that this species can live for a long time. It is estimated that a whale shark can live anywhere from 60 years to 150 years. It is also believed that these sharks first made their appearance about 60 million years ago and if this is true, it is most probably one of oldest living species on the planet today.

Unfortunately, the number of whale sharks is fast dwindling and as a result there is fishing ban. However, close to Taiwan, the shark is still being harvest, as people love to eat the meat of this fish. The meat is often referred to as tofu fish. If more efforts are not made to conserve this species of shark, soon they will become extinct and the beautiful whale shark will become a distant memory or will be visible just in photographs in books. Let us hope that the efforts to save this beautiful fish become successful.

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