Whale shark habitat | whale shark fishing net
Distribution and habitat
The whale shark inhabits almost all tropical and warm-temperate oceans. The fish is primarily pelagic, living in the available sea but not in the better depths of the ocean, even though it is known to occasionally dive to depths of as much as you, 800 metres (5, 900 ft).|17| Temporary feeding aggregations occur for several coastal sites including the southern and eastern elements of South Africa; Saint Helena Area in the South Atlantic Ocean; Gulf of Tadjoura in Djibouti, Gladden Spit in Belize; Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia; Kerala|18|, Lakshadweep, Gulf of Kutch and Saurashtra coast of Gujarat in India;|19| Útila in Honduras; Southern Leyte; Donsol, Pasacao and Batangas in the Thailand; off Isla Mujeres and Isla Holbox in Yucatan and Bahía de los Ángeles in Baja California, México; Maamigili island, Maldives; Ujung Kulon National Park in Indonesia; Cenderawasih Bay State Park in Nabire, Papua, Indonesia; Flores Island, Philippines; Nosy Be in Madagascar; away Tofo Beach near Inhambane in Mozambique; the Tanzanian islands of Mafia, Pemba, Zanzibar; Gulf of Tadjoura in Djibouti, the Ad Dimaniyat Islands in the Gulf of Oman and Al Hallaniyat islands in the Arabian Sea; and, very rarely, Eilat, Israel and Aqaba, Michael jordan. Although typically seen just offshore, it has been found closer to area, entering lagoons or coral reefs atolls, and near the mouths of estuaries and waters. Its range is generally limited to about 30° latitude. It can be capable of diving to depths of at least 1, 286 m (4, 219 ft),|20| and is migratory.|9| On 7 February 2012, a large whale shark was found floating 150 kilometres (93 mi) off the coast of Karachi, Pakistan. The length of the specimen was considered between 11 and 12 m (36 and 39 ft), with a weight of around 15, 000 kilogram (33, 000 lb).|21|
In 2011, more than 400 whale sharks gathered off the Yucatan Coast. It was one of the largest gatherings of whale sharks recorded.|22| Aggregations in that area are among the most reliable seasonal gatherings reputed for whale sharks, with huge numbers occurring in most years among May and September. Affiliated ecotourism has grown rapidly to unsustainable levels.|23|
Neither mating nor pupping of whale sharks has been discovered.
The capture of a female in July 1996 that was pregnant with 300 pups indicated whale sharks are ovoviviparous.|9||24||25| The eggs remain in the body and the females give birth to live adolescent which are 40 to 70 cm (16 to twenty-four in) long. Evidence shows the pups are not all of the born at once, but rather the feminine retains sperm from one pairing and produces a steady stream of pups over a extended period.|26| They will reach sexual maturity by around 30 years and their lifespan is an estimated 70|9| to 100 years.|27|
On 7 March 2009, marine scientists in the Philippines discovered what is believed to be the actual living specimen of the whale shark. The young shark, measuring only 38 cm (15 in), was identified with its tail tied to a stake at a seaside in Pilar, Sorsogon, Dubai, and was released into the outdoors. Based on this discovery, a few scientists no longer believe this place is just a feeding ground; this website may be a birthing place, as well. Both young whale sharks and pregnant females have been seen in the waters of Saint Helena inside the South Atlantic Ocean, just where numerous whale sharks can be spotted during the summer.
The whale shark is a filtration feeder - one of simply three known filter-feeding shark species (along with the basking shark and the megamouth shark). It feeds on plankton including copepods, krill, seafood eggs, Christmas Island red crab larvae |30| and small nektonic life, such as small squid or fish. It also provides nourishment to on clouds of eggs during mass spawning of fish and corals.|31| The many rows of vestigial teeth play no position in feeding. Feeding comes about either by ram filtration, in which the animal opens their mouth and swims ahead, pushing water and food into the mouth, or by energetic suction feeding, in which the dog opens and closes their mouth, sucking in volumes of water that are then simply expelled through the gills. In both cases, the filter pads serve to separate foodstuff from water. These different, black sieve-like structures are presumed to be modified gill rakers. Food separation in whale sharks is by cross-flow filtration, in which the water vacations nearly parallel to the filter pad surface, not perpendicularly through it, before passing to the outside, while denser food particles continue to the back from the throat.|32| This is an extremely efficient filtration approach that minimizes fouling of the filter pad surface. Whale sharks have been observed "coughing", presumably to clear a build-up of particles from the filtration pads. Whale sharks migrate to feed and possibly to breed.
2019-02-08 19:00:40 * 2019-02-07 20:42:28
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