Meet the Whale Shark

 The Rhincodon typus, is a big shark, some have been seen as long 50 ft., that’s as long as a school bus ("whale shark." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2012). The whale shark is the largest of all fishes (“whale shark.” Encyclopedia  Britannica., 2012.), so they don’t have a lot to be afraid of.  They look like sharks, have a lot of teeth like sharks, but aren’t scary like the Great White or Tiger sharks.  They are actually rather harmless, spending most of the day eating plankton.  Whale sharks have their mouth is at the front of their head; to eat it opens wide, sucking in water, filtering it through their gills and swallowing the collected food ("whale shark." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2012).

Even though these massive creatures have little to fear, there aren’t as many as there used to be. If this keeps up the whale shark will living with the Dodo birds, which are not living at all. In future weeks I hope to share more about this giant of fishes, be sure to check back later to read more for more.

Citations:

"whale shark." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2012. Retrieved February 07, 2013 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-whalesha.html

“whale shark.” Encyclopedia  Britannica. 2012. Retrieved February 07, 2013 from Britannica.com: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/641437/whale-shark

The Whale shark brown-gray with white spots and light underside.

Whale shark feeding.