The whale shark
(Rhincodon typus)
The whale shark’s habitat:
The whale sharks are often found in the tropical
oceans and rarely found in water below 21°C (70 °F)
The Whale shark’s diet:
The whale shark feeds on filter feeding shark species
(along with the basking shark and the megamouth).
Moreover, It feeds on plankton including copepods,
krill, fish eggs.
Whale sharks appearance:
Whale sharks have a flattened head with a blunt or dull
snout above its mouth and short barbels projecting
from its nostrils. In addition, the whale sharks have
grey to brown backs and sides with white spots amid
pale vertical and horizontal stipes as their bellies are
white.
The whale shark’s population:
Whale sharks populate all over the tropical seas as
they are known to migrate every spring to the
continental shelf of the central west coast of Australia.
Additionally, They managed to count 2,123 sharks,
and recorded only 17 species, compared with 64
species previously reported
Predators of the whale
sharks:
There are very few predators that feed on
the whale sharks but blue marlin and blue
sharks can sometimes feed on small
individuals of them.However the most
significant threat to this species seems to
be humans.
Why are the whale sharks endangered:
The whale sharks species are endangered
due to the to the impacts of fisheries, bycatch losses, and vessel strikes, combined
with its long lifespan and late maturation.