Date: Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at 2:50 PM
Have a good Wednesday!
This wonderful Wednesday the fish of the day is the whale shark!
The whale shark is remarkable due to its unique feeding method for its species and its exceptional size. In fact the whale shark is the largest animal in the world if we omit whales. Getting as large as 18 meters (about 60 feet) this is where the whale shark received its name, getting as large as many whales.
This puts us onto the topic of how they feed. They employ the use of suction and filter feeding, something almost unheard of in sharks (other than basking sharks). Now, suction feeding and filter feeding aren't new things within marine life. But it is something rarely seen in sharks, as they've spent so long perfecting to chase predators. It's strange to see one defy the status quo.
Whale sharks are known to be gentle giants, uncaring of human activity, and allowing divers to hitch rides on the side of them on occasion
The way that they filter through this is incredibly interesting. They have something referred to as a filter pad, which works by having water run along this almost parallel, and food gets caught and pushed towards the back of the throat we’ll after is expelled through the gills.
Hope everyone has a great day!