#Whale shark size skin

Unlike whales, they are not mammals and their young are not fed by the mother’s milk. They have all the 33 characteristics of a shark, such as a cartilage skeleton, five pairs of gills and unfused pectoral fins to the head. The answer is yes, whale sharks really are sharks. So, it’s no surprise that people often ask us the question…is a whale shark a shark? Are Whale Sharks Really Sharks? They are enormous, reaching 12 meters or more in length and weighing as much as 16 tons – basically, they are about the size of a bus! And they don’t have sharp teeth, in fact their teeth don’t really assist in feeding at all.

During active surface feeding, the top jaw typically breaks the surface.Whale sharks look quite different to how we imagine a shark to look.

When the sharks are fed in Ocean Voyager, they employ this suction-type feeding style, while following feeding ladles along the surface.

During vertical and active surface suction feeding, the shark will open and close its mouth, creating a strong suction and bringing in large volumes of water.

When food is densely concentrated, the shark will often exhibit vertical suction feeding: remaining stationary in a semi-vertical position, facing the surface.

Active surface suction feeding is the most common type of feeding method and is characterized by the shark swimming in a normal orientation while feeding.

When food concentrations are high, the shark will use one of two suction-type feeding methods: active suction feeding and vertical suction feeding.

Multiple feeding methods may be observed in whale sharks:.

This is very efficient and does not clog the filters. A bolus or spinning ball of food grows in diameter at the back of the throat until it triggers a swallowing reflex. Rather, water is directed away through the gills while particles (which have more momentum) carry on toward the back of the mouth in an ever more concentrated stream.

A whale shark filters food from the water by “cross-flow filtration,” which means the particles do not catch on the filter.

Can only swallow small prey because its throat is very narrow, often compared to the size of a quarter.

and small fishes (sardines, anchovies, etc).

Consists of zooplankton, specifically sergestid shrimps and fish eggs as well as krill, jellies, copepods, coral spawn, etc.

There are about 300 rows of tiny teeth along the inner surface of each jaw, just inside the mouth.

The teeth of the whale shark are tiny and pointed backward they are thought to have no function in feeding.

Each whale shark has its own individual spot pattern like human fingerprints, no two are exactly alike.

Whale sharks have a two-toned pattern of light spots on their dark gray back with a white underside.

#Whale shark size skin

The skin of an adult whale shark can be as thick as 4 inches (10 cm) and has the consistency of strong rubber, which limits possible predators to killer whales, great white sharks, tiger sharks and humans.These stop the backflow of water as the whale shark closes its mouth, preventing the loss of food.

Inside the mouth are specialized flaps called velums.The whale shark has a huge mouth, which can reach up to 4 feet (1.2 m) across, located at the front of the head.Unlike most shark species, its mouth is located at the front of the head (terminal) instead of the underside of the rostrum (subterminal).It has a vestigial spiracle behind the eye, which is an evolutionary remnant of its common ancestry with bottom-dwelling (benthic) carpet sharks. Whale sharks have a broad, flat head, relatively small eyes, five large gill slits, two dorsal fins, two long pectoral fins, two pelvic fins, one anal fin and a large sweeping tail.Newborns measure 21 to 25 inches (53-64 cm) long.The average length is between 18 and 32 feet (5.5-9.8 m).The largest accurately measured whale shark was 61.7 feet (18.8 m).Because of its size and cartilaginous skeleton, it does not fossilize well and in life it is very difficult to weigh accurately. The whale shark is the largest fish in the world and the largest fish known to have lived on this planet.Beginning Environmental Leadership Program.Dolphin Coast Presented by Margaritaville by Wyndham.Shows & Presentations Shows & Presentations