Whale Sharks

Known mostly for their enormous size and docile behavior, Whale Sharks are largest fish species that are threatened to become extinct. Scientists have discovered that this species has been around for over 60 million years and has a life span of about 70 years.
Whale Sharks gravitate to warmer waters, especially in the tropical areas. Every spring, Whale Sharks migrate towards the continental shelf off of the coast of Australia.
The gestation period of a Whale Shark is unknown, however, in 1996, a female Whale Shark was captured and was pregnant with over 300 pups. The pups hatch inside the mother and stay in her for an unknown amount of time. When they are born, Whale Shark pups are approximately 16-24 inches long.
It is believed that Whale Sharks reach sexual maturity at approximately 30 years of age.

The largest Whale Shark ever mentioned was 40 feet long, but they are known to get even bigger than that. The average size of male Whale Sharks recorded is approximately over 31 feet and 20,000 pounds. In relation to a bus, a whale shark is as big, IF NOT BIGGER than an average school bus.

Whale Sharks usually have gray, blue, or brown spots or stripes covering their tops, while they have white underbellies.
Most notably, Whale Sharks are known for the huge contradiction of their enormous size, and docile behavior. Whale Sharks do not have sharp teeth like other species of sharks do. They have BALEENS which is sort of like a filter system. The baleens are so tightly packed together that it catches the Whale Sharks' prey...plankton. Anything too big would not be able to pass through, which is why if a human were to ever get accidentaly caught in their enormous mouths (it has been alleged that this has happened before although there is not any verifiable proof) they would be spit out immediately :)

When Whale Sharks are confronted by humans, they usually swim past them, minding their own business, and sometimes humans are even able to hitch a ride alongside these massive, gorgeous creatures. However, some scientists suggest that this is not a good idea, one of the reasons being that this is an animal in his/her natural habitat and should be respected and left alone.

Whale Sharks, are by far one of the sweetest, most peaceful creatures in our Oceans. It is beyond unfortunate and heartbreaking that they are continued to be murdered in parts of Asia, for example the Phillippines and Taiwan.

A Theory of Mine...

I do some of my best thinking in the shower, and it occurred to me a possible theory as to why sharks have very few proponents in this world.

Here are some of my thoughts:
1) First of all, sharks do not have any fur, so they do not give off that warm and cuddly feeling; instead they seem to give off a cold, hard, and painful feeling.

2) There are those rows and rows of deadly, sharp teeth that don't help.

3) They don't yawn, sneeze, cough, sleep, or close their eyes.

4) You can't really blame the way they feed on animals as one of the reasons because you can just take a look at the National Geographic channel and see a lion or tiger devouring a still-alive baby zebra and that just shakes you to your core. So that is not a reasonable reason. All animals have violent tendencies.

5) This is my final reason, and I think this is at the core of the lack-of-supporters for sharks: sharks are really, the only species I can think of that have absolutely, 100% NO maternal instincts. They do not feed their babies milk, watch over them, teach them, guide them or anything. Once the baby is born they are on their own! Completely, they get absolutely no attention or help from their parents. I mean even certain species of snakes and spiders look after their young to a certain extent. But I guess if you have rows and rows of sharp teeth, serrated skin, and no arms, you wouldn't be a very good mother even if you tried. It is possible that this lack of maternal instincts doesn't promote affectionate feelings towards the apex predators of the ocean.

Anyway, this is just a theory of mine. Let me know what you think :)

Marissa