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| The whale shark is the biggest fish in the sea. |
A Gentle Giant
Of all the fish in the sea, the whale shark wins the prize for size. The largest on record was 20 meters long, but most grow to be around 12 meters and 40 pounds. Though tremendous in size and intimidating in appearance, the shark is actually very docile.
Preferring to live in temperate waters, it spends most of its time eating. It takes a lot of food to fill a stomach that large!
As the shark swims along--mouth wide open and jaws jutting out--it passively filters whatever crosses its path. Favorite foods are plankton and schools of small fish.
Although whale sharks have been seen near the ocean's surface, these behemoths can dive as deep as 1000 meters. Very little is known about these amazing creatures.
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| Whale shark filtering food. |
As the shark swims along--mouth wide open and jaws jutting out--it passively filters whatever crosses its path. Favorite foods are plankton and schools of small fish.
Although whale sharks have been seen near the ocean's surface, these behemoths can dive as deep as 1000 meters. Very little is known about these amazing creatures.
Research Sources:
1. "What is the biggest fish in the ocean?". National Ocean Service: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). Web. 22 Jul. 2018. <https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/bigfish.html>.
2. "Whale Shark". National Geographic. Web. 24. Jul. 2018. <https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/w/whale-shark/>.
2. "Whale Shark". National Geographic. Web. 24. Jul. 2018. <https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/w/whale-shark/>.
Image Credits:
1. The Whale Shark by skeeze is licensed by CCO Creative Commons.
2. Whale Shark Feeding by StockSnap is licensed by CCO Creative Commons.
2. Whale Shark Feeding by StockSnap is licensed by CCO Creative Commons.
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