International Whale Shark Day, Sun Aug 30th, 2020
International Whale Shark Day has been designed so that we can celebrate and increase awareness about these amazing sea-dwelling creatures.
We need to protect and conserve the whale shark, as their numbers are declining.
These gentle giants fascinate aquatic enthusiasts and marine biologists alike, yet it is up to us to make sure that their numbers increase and their futures are protected. This is what International Whale Shark Day is all about.
Whale sharks are incredible to look at, and even more fascinating to learn about. However, they are becoming endangered.
They are actually one of the most vulnerable marine animals according to the IUCN, which is the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Some interesting facts about whale sharks
Are they sharks? Or, are they whales? A whale shark is a shark. Let’s get that cleared up first and foremost.
In fact, a whale shark is the biggest living species of shark on our planet. They can grow up to 14 meters in length, as well as weighing an average of 12 ton. Despite the fact that they are so big, their teeth are very small, measuring only six millimeters in length.
One of the most fascinating facts about whale sharks is that they all have a unique pattern. The skin of a whale shark is fully unique, just like the fingerprint of a human.
This gives researchers the ability to run visual analytics on a whale shark so that they can identify and track it correctly.
One of the reasons why whale sharks are so vulnerable is because they move at shallow depths, and they move slowly in the ocean.
They prefer to roam seas that have around a 50-meter depth, despite the fact that they can dive up to 1,000 meters.
In terms of speed, they swim at approximately five kilometers per hour. Because of this, they are highly vulnerable to getting caught in fishing nets and ship collisions.
