What is your Whale Shark IQ?

The mouths of a Whale Shark are larger than most other species, measuring about four feet long. They consume large volumes of food and water into it daily. These sharks have a type of filtering system in place so that they can take in the water and the food. They are able to keep the food and to release the water back out of the body. Each one features two dorsal fins and two pectoral fins.

What is unique about the body design of the Whale Shark is that they will use their whole body for swimming. Most species of sharks only have to move their tail to do so. However, this one has to effectively move their entire body from side to side for movement to occur. This does require them to use more energy though to get where they want to go.

Their skin is up to four inches thick so they have all the protection that they need. You will also notice that they have a very small head. Down the side of the body there is also several ridges. They have 350 rows of teeth that are extremely sharp in their mouths. As one is damaged or lost then a new one will move forward and take its place. It isn't uncommon for to have about 3,000 teeth in their mouth at a time.

Even though these are extremely large sharks they really aren't interested in hurting people. Many people just have a fear that a shark is out there and that is what stays in their mind. They won't even end up eating a person by accident though due to their filtering system.

The Whale Shark lives alone but they can be found in the same general area at times due to their feeding habits. They do their best to stay out of the area of each other though or aggressive behaviors can occur. They will draw each other though when it comes to mating times of the year. These amazing creatures have a life span in the wild that ranges from 70 to 100 years.

These sharks live in all types of water but they like to be warm. That is why they are found in the tropical regions around the world. In recent years there have been some reports of them in the Mediterranean Sea which would be very new and could be possible. This still has not been confirmed though. Where they are known to live include Australia, Tanzania, Mexico, and Indonesia.

Generally the Whale Shark is going to stay close to the top of the water. Many people in those areas will spend time watching these very large sharks and their movements. Due to the large size of them, they aren't a species of shark that does well in captivity. There are only a few of the that are still in captivity and there doesn't seem to be a rush to bring any more of them in.

I have already mentioned their filtering system when it comes to feeding. They will move at a very slow pace around the water to get their fill of food. They mainly consume plankton and can easily consume millions of them. They will also feed on small sized fish and small squid. They spend several hours a day to feeding, and more than 1,500 gallons of water can pass through them in an hour.

The Whale Shark will reproduce very late in life. They aren't considered to be mature until they are about 30 years of age. It isn't fully understood how the males and females attract each other for the mating process to begin. The female will carry eggs in her body for several months and then those eggs will hatch inside of her. She will give birth to many pups that will care for themselves from the start.

While the Whale Shark doesn't have too many predators, there are other types of sharks out there including Blue Sharks and Blue Marlins that will feed on them. The biggest threat to them out there are humans. They have long been considered one of the largest animals that a person can hunt and that draws some people to the activity. Humans also know that this shark isn't a threat to them like many others so it is safer to hunt it.

Since the Whale Sharks stay close to the top of the water they can often end up being injured and killed when struck by the boats. These animals are very curious so they tend to get too close to such heavy items that are in the same waters where they live. Commercial fishermen aren't fans of the Whale Sharks because of the amount of food that they eat. By killing them they will find more fish that they can sell for money.

The people of Taiwan hunt the Whale Shark as a way to have the amount of meat that they need to effectively feed their people. They also have found uses for the body that they don't consume. For example jewelry is made from the teeth and bones are used to make tools. All of these efforts combined have resulted in the Whale Shark being labeled as a vulnerable animal.

There are some conservation efforts in place though to try to help them get their numbers back up. The fact that the reproduce so late in life is a huge barrier for that to take place. Therefore protecting those in the wild so that they can reach the age to reproduce is an extremely important part of these conservation efforts being a success.