Dare to live this unique experience and come swim with whale sharks in their habitat.
¿What is your species of whale shark?
The whale shark, the largest fish in the sea thanks to its 12 meters or more, has a large menu to choose from. Fortunately for most sea creatures (and us!), their favorite food is plankton. They capture these tiny plants and animals, along with any small fish that pass through their colossal open mouth as they swim near the surface of the water.
The whale shark, like the second largest fish on the planet, the basking shark, is a filter feeder. To eat, it opens its enormous jaws wide and absorbs everything that is nearby. Then it closes its mouth, expelling and filtering the water through its gills. Anything left inside is ingested by this giant shark.
The whale shark’s flattened head sports a blunt snout over its mouth, with small baleen protruding from the nostrils. Its back and sides are gray or brown, with white spots between pale vertical and horizontal stripes, and the belly is white. Its two dorsal fins are oriented towards the rear of its body, which ends with a large forked tail or caudal fin.
Because they prefer warm waters, whale sharks are present in all tropical seas. It is known to migrate each spring to the continental shelf off the central west coast of Australia. The coral reproduction of the Ningaloo Reef, located in that area, provides the whale shark with plankton in abundance.
Despite their enormous size, the whale shark is a docile fish that sometimes allows divers to swim with them. It is currently on the list of vulnerable species. Despite this, they continue to be hunted in some parts of Asia, such as Taiwan and the Philippines.
Created by Together to Cancun
