Feeding whale sharks
Or is it one of the most worried fish, for example, is it a shark or a whale?Without a doubt, it is a shark and has the physiology of any other fish, however, its name has been given for its enormous size, as it can measure up to 12 meters long and weigh more than 20 tons.
- The whale shark inhabits the oceans and seas near the tropics.
- As it needs a warm habitat.
- Being at a depth of about 700 meters.
If you want to know more about this extraordinary species, in this animal expert article we talk about whale shark feeding.
The whale shark has a large mouth, so much so that its oral cavity can reach about 1.5 meters wide, its jaw is very strong and robust, and there are multiple rows formed by small sharp teeth.
However, whale sharks are similar to humpback whales (such as blue whales), as the number of teeth they have does not play a decisive role in their diet.
The whale shark sucks a lot of water and food when closing the mouth, then the water is filtered through its gills and expelled, on the other hand, any food with a diameter of more than 3 millimetres gets stuck in its oral cavity and is then swallowed.
The oral cavity of a whale shark is so large that a seal could enter; Despite this, this species of fish feeds on small life forms, especially krill, phytoplankton and algae, although it can also consume small crustaceans, such as squid and crab larvae.and small fish, such as sardines, mackerel, tuna and small anchovies.
The whale shark consumes a daily amount of food equivalent to 2% of its body mass, however, you can also do without menstruation for a while, as it has an energy reserve system.
The whale shark locates its food through olfactory signals, this is partly due to the small size of its eyes and its poor location.
To eat its food, the whale shark is positioned upright, keeping its oral cavity glued to the surface, and to ingest water constantly, it is able to pump water through its gills, filtering, as mentioned above.Food.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), whale sharks are vulnerable endangered species, so fishing and selling this species is prohibited and sanctioned by law.
Some whale sharks remain in captivity in Japan and Atlanta, where they are being studied and are expected to improve their reproduction, which should be the main focus of study, as little is known about the breeding process of the whale shark.
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Curiosities section of the animal world.