The Rhincodon Typus, which is most popularly known as Whale Shark, is the largest ever known fish. It reaches an amazing size of around 15-18 meters. Sometimes it increases even more than 18 meters. It can weigh up to or more than 10 tons. The whale shark is a tropical water fish. It scarcely ventures in the temperate waters and mostly tries to stay away from it. Its nature is solitary and even though it looks dangerous it does not harm humans. Various swimmers, scuba divers and underwater experts who have seen it and touched it can prove this. It could be said to be an underwater pet. Like many other whales it thrives on plankton. It also likes to consume sardines and anchovies, which are underwater plants. Of all the parts of the world only Australia’s western part is the most gifted part to have mysterious whale sharks as visitors and that too on a regular basis. This amazing whale shark is the largest fish in the world and we are proud to feature it here at our Big Fish com site, along with the biggest animal in the world.
During the thriving season of coral spawns on the reef of Nigaloo, which is near Exmouth in the month of March and April the whale sharks g there on the front side of the reef and stay there for a month. They thrive on the huge marine life that comes there to feed o the coral spawn. Out of these whale sharks a majority of them are immature in nature and it is still an unsolved mystery as to why only this particular type of sharks visit the place. Whales sharks can grow up to more than 12 meters in length which more than a size of a normal bus. These are also known as gentle ocean giants. They are a crossbreed of whales and sharks but they are always confused as whales due to their size and feeding habits. But this does not change the fact that they are sharks but are the least fearsome in the whole group and their closest relatives are nurse and woebgong sharks due to their mild nature. Whale sharks are the not at all aggressive and are the second largest sharks. They are slightly smaller than basking sharks that roam the ocean and thrive on zooplankton, small fishes and squid.
Even though the whale sharks have 300 rows of small teeth, they never chew their food leave alone biting it. Instead of using their teeth they use a fine mesh of rakers that are attached to their gills that separate food from water and take it in for consumption. These rakers are more or less like the baleen plates that the whales have. It is observed that the whale sharks have a strange habit of hanging vertically and eating their food by taking in water inside their mouth with great speed. Also it is observed that at the reefs of Ningaloo by the researchers that they feed on the zooplanktons by keeping their already wide mouth open wider and then swimming right through them. About their reproduction very little or nothing is known by the researchers.
