They are endangered , but studies are underway, monitoring the population and the hunting of them.
Whale sharks are the largest fish in the oceans. They are known as gentle giants because they are filter feeders. The average size for a full grown whale shark is 32.8 ft. 20.6 tons.
The largest specimen regarded as accurately recorded was caught on November 11, 1947, near the island of Baba, not far from Karachi, Pakistan. It was 12.65 metres (41.50 ft) long, weighed more than 21.5 tons (47,300 lb), and had a girth of 7 metres (23.0 ft).
Stories exist of vastly larger specimens-quoted lengths of 18 metres (59 ft) are not uncommon in the popular shark literature-but no scientific records exist to support their existence. In 1868 the Irish natural scientist E. Perceval Wright spent time in the Seychelles, during which he managed to obtain several small whale shark specimens, but claimed to have observed specimens in excess of 15 metres (49.2 ft), and tells of reports of specimens surpassing 21 metres (68.9 ft).
In a 1925 publication, Hugh M. Smith describes a huge whale shark caught in a bamboo fish trap in Thailand in 1919. The shark was too heavy to pull ashore, but Smith estimated that the shark was at least 17 metres (56 ft) long, and weighed approximately 37 tons (81,500 lb), which have been exaggerated to an accurate measurement of 17.98 metres (58.99 ft) and weight 43 tonnes in recent years. There have even been claims of whale sharks of up to 23 metres (75 ft). In 1934 a ship named the Maurguani came across a whale shark in the Southern Pacific ocean, rammed it, and the shark consequently became stuck on the prow of the ship, supposedly with 4.6 metres (15.1 ft) on one side and 12.2 metres (40.0 ft) on the other. No reliable documentation exists of those claims and they remain little more than "fish-stories".
The largest specimen regarded as accurately recorded was caught on November 11, 1947, near the island of Baba, not far from Karachi, Pakistan. It was 12.65 metres (41.50 ft) long, weighed more than 21.5 tons (47,300 lb), and had a girth of 7 metres (23.0 ft).
Stories exist of vastly larger specimens-quoted lengths of 18 metres (59 ft) are not uncommon in the popular shark literature-but no scientific records exist to support their existence. In 1868 the Irish natural scientist E. Perceval Wright spent time in the Seychelles, during which he managed to obtain several small whale shark specimens, but claimed to have observed specimens in excess of 15 metres (49.2 ft), and tells of reports of specimens surpassing 21 metres (68.9 ft).
In a 1925 publication, Hugh M. Smith describes a huge whale shark caught in a bamboo fish trap in Thailand in 1919. The shark was too heavy to pull ashore, but Smith estimated that the shark was at least 17 metres (56 ft) long, and weighed approximately 37 tons (81,500 lb), which have been exaggerated to an accurate measurement of 17.98 metres (58.99 ft) and weight 43 tonnes in recent years. There have even been claims of whale sharks of up to 23 metres (75 ft). In 1934 a ship named the Maurguani came across a whale shark in the Southern Pacific ocean, rammed it, and the shark consequently became stuck on the prow of the ship, supposedly with 4.6 metres (15.1 ft) on one side and 12.2 metres (40.0 ft) on the other. No reliable documentation exists of those claims and they remain little more than "fish-stories".
The largest whale shark ever found was 41.5 ft and weighed 47000 lbs. So they can get to pretty large sizes.
Most whale sharks average to about 25 ft. long. But that is only the average length because the whale shark is the largest and longest fish in the world. Some squids are longer because that is only the average length. I'd say the longest whale shark in the world is approx. 45-59 ft. An average whale shark weighs about 15 tons=30,000 lbs.
The average whale shark is 25 feet but the largest recorded size is 46 feet.
The whale shark averagesabout 25 ft. but there have been whale sharks found that where 46 ft. long The whale shark averagesabout 25 ft. but there have been whale sharks found that where 46 ft. long The largest confirmed was 41 feet.
whale sharks don't actually sleep like humans do. whale sharks like most fish just rest.
No it is not, but it is however the largest fish in the sea. It is still considered a shark even though its large size and therefor a fish. Whales are a completely different species and not considered a fish. Now the fastest shark is the short fin Mako, clocked at only 32 mph, but has been said to swim at speeds of over 60 mph. The fastest marine animal would be the Sailfish, but again in is only clocked at 68 mph. It could in fact go much faster than that.
Like all sharks ( like fish), whale sharks breathe through gills which extract oxygen from the water.
This is Terrible grammar But here's the answer
-Arian
Average age of a male that marries? 26. Is the whale sharka whale or a shark? It
is a sharkthat looks very much like a whale and eats plankton rather than fish.
Yes. There all called the blue whale. And also there all the biggest mammals on earth, somebody has just described them as big.
yes they are friendly but killer whales you can not swim with because they might think you are a seal and eat you but most other cases whales do not attack you unless they are a male or a female with a baby.
yes a killer whale is bigger than a shark. most shark species are smaller than killer whales even the great white shark the killer whale can be twice as big as the great white. But there is one shark who is bigger than the orca that is the whale shark :)
yay. whale sharks dont have teeth, they only eat small sea animals. and its mouth is big enough, probz youll be able to swim back out if your not runnin out of oxygen.
How much whale sharks eat depends on their size. As a general rule, whale sharks eat between 0.5 % and 3% of their body weight at each meal. They have a slow metabolism which means they need two to three days to digest their meal. So, if a fully grown whale shark weighs about 13 tonnes, it might eat almost 400 kilograms of food every 2-3 days. The whale shark feeds by filtering huge amounts of plankton and tiny sea creatures through its gills as it swims. It swims with its mouth open, sucking in huge amounts of water filled with small animals and plankton. This water is then filtered through spongy tissue around its gills. After the whale shark closes its mouth, it uses gills rakers, which are thousands of bristles around 10cm long in its mouth, to filter and eat the tiny plants and animals, which can include small fish, crustaceans and squid. A whale shark will often swim into schools of tiny creatures so as to maximise how much it can trap in its mouth. Because of the way it feeds, and the facts that its 3000 tiny teeth are virtually useless, a whale shark presents no danger to people.
It looks like a big blue shark. It has a lot of white spots and is a navy blue and has puny teeth.
they do so because their babies have been in their nice, warm tummy for so long and an immediate temp change in cool waters can kill the baby easily.. a bit like when new babies are born they are sometimes put in a box like an incubator so they don't become cold and form deficiencies
they are very big weighing upon 1,700 lbs and the primary coler is white
Whale sharks. Whale sharks can grow up to 50 feet, while belugas only grow to about 15-20 feet.
That would be very hard to estimate. While they can be found in any warm ocean of the world,
whale sharks are not, and never have been, common anywhere. They are not endangered, but are listed as "vulnerable".
Good question there was never a bull shark in the delawere river plus a shark can go from an ocean to a lake or a river but there might of been one but the people should not have went swimmming there that there was a shark in the river but good question! :)
For a Given value of 'friendly' Yes, it might not be very interested in frolicking merrily through the ocean with you, but it would be quite incapable of eating you, and they are very docile.
there is not an exact number of spots in a whale shark. It's also depending in how old is it. thanks a lot and i hope i answered your question.