The Whale Shark is the largest of all sharks. This shark is one of the only sharks that we have little information on. I picked this shark because it seemed like an interesting shark and I have always liked this shark.
The Whale Shark is like a giant of the sea. Reported to grow up to 70 feet long, the largest one caught was 65 feet. Experts believe that if it did grow up to 70 feet it would weigh 70 tons or more! Its normal size seems to be 25-35 feet long weighing about 25-30 tons. Like most sharks its skin is tough and thick, measuring 6 inches thick on a 60 foot shark. Unlike most sharks, the whale shark's mouth opens at the very front of its head.
These sharks can be found all around the world. These solitary sharks have been found as far north as New York and as far south as Brazil and Australia. Although these sharks are usually found alone, they are sometimes in a group of 3 or more.
The Whale Shark feeds on a variety of things, but its main meal is plankton. However, it will eat tuna, anchovies, sardines and other small fish. It has also eaten leather belts, shoes and sometimes it has even eaten large poles. In its mouth are 310 rows of very small, blunt teeth. 10 to 15 rows of its teeth can function alone at once.
The breeding habits of this shark are unknown and only one egg and one embryo (baby shark) have been found. Captain Odell Freeze found it while fishing at 40 fathoms. In one of his hauls he saw a strange object. "When I opened it up with a knife," he said, "out popped this little shark, very much alive." The captain gave both to an ichthyologist and science is forever grateful.
The whale sharks relationship with man is very good. The whale shark has never been commercially important, and most people are afraid of its tremendous size. Despite the fact that it is very harmless, it has been known to capsize small boats accidentally. One of the worst things is that the whale shark get rammed by ships quite frequently. Other than this fact, the whale shark has no natural enemies.