In Belize, whale sharks feed on snapper spawning events. For example, at Christmas Island, off Western Australia, the appearance of whale sharks is linked to a red land crab-spawning event. Whale sharks regularly appear at locations where seasonal food ‘pulses’ occur. The diet of Whale sharks consists primarily of plankton, krill and other small organisms. In Australia, whale sharks occur mainly off northern Western Australia, the Northern Territory with some reports in Queensland. They are found in a band around the equator, in water temperatures of 18☌ to 30☌, and in both coastal and oceanic waters. Whale sharks have been reported in tropical and warm temperate seas. The spots and stripes on the whale sharks are for camouflage, by reflecting and dispersing light their outline is harder to make out to predators. The outer layer is covered in overlapping dermal denticals, like a suit of armor.
#Deep blue shark markings skin#
The skin on the back of the whale shark is thicker and tougher than that of any other animal in the world. Whale sharks can be identified by three prominent ridges along each side of their body and a distinct pattern of white spots and stripes against a dark blue/grey skin. (A 12 metre shark may weigh as much as 11 tonnes and have a mouth over 1.5m wide!) In the Ningaloo the most common size of Whale shark is around 4-6m, with some getting up to 10m.
The largest non-scientifically recorded whale shark was around 18 metres in length, however on average they reach sizes of up to 12 metres. It is believed that Whale sharks can live around 100 years, reaching maturity at around 30 years of age. Until the 1980s, there had only been 320 confirmed sightings worldwide! The whale shark is the world’s largest living fish/ shark, however, very little is still known about the biology and ecology of the whale shark. they have been around a whole lot longer than we have been! -) It is thought that whale sharks have lived in the Earth’s oceans for literally millions of years, dating back to the Jurassic period. In appreciation, he showered the whale shark with silver coins, which became the spots all over its body. The tribes of Mozambique tell a story whereby one of the gods was visiting Earth and saw a whale shark swimming by in all of its grace and beauty, under the water near his boat. Whale Shark Facts How the whale shark got its spots Mobile Phone Coverage in and around Exmouth.Ningaloo Marine Park – Australia’s great coral reef diving playground.Humpback Whale Tour or Whale Shark Tour?.Young Children, Pregancy and Whale Shark Tours.
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