Scientific name: Rhincodon typus
Size: Between 26,2 and 39,3 feet usually, up to 60 feet
Color: Gray-blue and white
Distinguishing feature: Blue gray dorsal livery spotted with white dots and light bands. Clear ventral fur.
Where did we see it: Maldives, Egypt
The whale shark is the largest fish in the world.
This species can live a hundred years but reaches sexual maturity around 30 years. This is a problem for the protection of the species that has trouble reproducing fastly to counter mass fishing.
This shark feeds mainly on plankton, so it's easier to spot on a portion of the sea that is heavily loaded with plankton.
It is a species still little known, which moves a lot and can dive to almost 1.3 mile deep.
You can adopt one of them to help protecting the species, or report their position to a protection agency when you see it. We go through Sharks Institute ;).
Mammals have a horizontal tail.
Fishes have a vertical fin.
Parrotfish create a protective envelope around them when they are sleeping.
So, don't put the light on them during night dive to don't to wake them up and break this envelope.
The whale shark is the largest fish in the world!
Some whales are larger, but they are mammals, not fish!
