The Gentle Giant of The Ocean

Gigantic and gentle are the words I’ll use to describe this extraordinary creature. The whale shark is the largest fish on earth measuring an average of 9 meters. Now this is a size comparable to a bus. The largest caught specimen measures 12 meters in length and is believed that they are capable of growing even larger. Such a large creature might make you think twice about diving since you might get gobble up in its tummy, but do not fear as the whale shark is actually a plankton feeder. With its mouth as wide as 1.5 meters, it filters the water for tiny fishes and plankton as it swims about the ocean. The whales do have tiny teeth and lots of them, but they serve no known function. 

  These gentle giants prefer warm waters and one of the best places to find them is in Australia. Whale sharks are docile fish and sometimes allow divers to hitch a ride, but this is not encouraged though. Young whale sharks are even known to play with divers. If you do swim with one, do make sure you don’t end up in its mouth; it does have an extremely huge mouth. Scientists are not sure as to how long a whale shark can live, but according to their giant size and their age at first reproduction, which is around the age of 30 for males; these fish could live for 100 to 150 years. 

 Whale sharks are currently labeled as a vulnerable species. This means that if we do not improve the situations that are threatening their survival and reproduction which will cause them to become endangered, they WILL become an endangered species. They are hunted by commercial fisheries especially in the Philippines even though the government had banned the act. So let’s be nice to all life on earth and stop hunting these poor defenseless creatures.