Page 29 - Central America

The Whale Sharks of The Bay Islands

The Bay Islands are known for the large accumulation of whale sharks whale shark has three prominent ridges along its sides. Whale sharks have
in the summer months. Whale sharks are protected by Honduran law a mouth that can be 1.5 m (4.9 feet) wide. Its mouth contains between 300
and it is illegal to catch or kill these magnificent creatures. The whale shark to 350 rows of tiny teeth and 10 filter pads which it uses to filter feed. Whale

is a slow-moving filter feeding shark and the largest known fish. The largest sharks have five large pairs of gills. Its head is wide and flat with two small

confirmed individual had a length of 12.65 meters and a weight of more eyes at the front. Their skin is marked with pale yellow spots and stripes

than 21.5 metric tons. Unconfirmed reports of considerably larger whale which are unique to each individual. The whale shark has three prominent

sharks exist. Whale sharks can grow to the size of a bus. The whale shark ridges along its sides. The whale shark is a filter feeder – one of only three

holds many records for sheer size in the animal kingdom, most notably known filter feeding shark species (along with the basking shark and the

being by far the largest living non-mammalian vertebrate, rivalling many megamouth shark.

of the largest dinosaurs in weight. The species originated about 60 million A It feeds on microalgae, plankton, krill, Christmas Island red
years ago. The whale shark is found in tropical and warm oceans and lives crab larvae and small nektonic life, such as small squid or
in the open sea, with a lifespan of about 70 years. Whale sharks have very

large mouths, and as filter feeders, they feed mainly on plankton. Whale vertebrates. It also feeds on small fish and the clouds of eggs and

shark time their arrival to coincide with the mass spawning of fish shoals sperm during mass spawning of fish. The many rows of vestigial

and feeding on the resultant clouds of eggs and sperm. The name “whale teeth play no role in feeding. The enormous mouth takes in large

shark” comes from the fish’s size, being as large as some species of whale amounts of water that is filter through its gills. Feeding occurs ei-

and also a filter feeder like baleen whales. ther by ram filtration, in which the animal opens its mouth and

Whale sharks have a mouth that can be 1.5 m (4.9 feet) wide. Its mouth swims forward, pushing water and food into the mouth, or by
contains between 300 to 350 rows of tiny teeth and 10 filter pads active suction feeding, in which the animal opens and closes its
mouth, sucking in volumes of water that are then expelled through

which it uses to filter feed. Whale sharks have five large pairs of gills. Its the gills.

head is wide and flat with two small eyes at the front. Their skin is marked

with pale yellow spots and stripes which are unique to each individual. The