Page 243 - The Virgin Islands

hite Tip Lagoon Shark - Adult size: 5.57 to 6.6 feet. This shark shark holds many records for sheer size in the animal kingdom,

W can be distinguished by its white trimmed dorsal and caudal most notably being by far the largest living non-mammalian verte-
fins. It is a shark that can be observed in schools, during the day brate, rivalling many of the largest dinosaurs in weight. The species

usually resting on the bottom, in caves or on rocky overhangs. The originated about 60 million years ago. The whale shark is found in

white tip lagoon shark is found in coastal habitats, territory it shares tropical and warm oceans and lives in the open sea, with a lifespan

with the black tips and lemon sharks. It becomes active mainly at of about 70 years. Whale sharks have very large mouths, and as filter

night feeding on fish that it ferrets out of holes and crevices. feeders, they feed mainly on plankton. Whale shark time their ar-

W hale Shark - The whale shark is a slow-moving filter feeding rival to coincide with the mass spawning of fish shoals and feeding
shark and the largest known fish. The largest confirmed in- on the resultant clouds of eggs and sperm. The name “whale shark”
comes from the fish’s size, being as large as some species of whale

dividual had a length of 12.65 meters and a weight of more than and also a filter feeder like baleen whales.

21.5 metric tons. Unconfirmed reports of considerably larger whale

sharks exist. Whale sharks can grow to the size of a bus. The whale