rhincodon+typus



__Rhinocodon typus- Whale shark__

__Animal classification:__ - Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Chondrichthyes, Order: Orectolobiformes, Family: Rhincodontidae

__Endangered Species Act:__ - Vulnerable: Assessed in 2000 - Justification: The incidental capture in fisheries exploits this specie’s vulnerability

__Location of ecosystem:__ - Usually found in all tropical and warm temperate seas except the Mediterranean, usually between latitudes 30°N and 35°S.

__Physical Habitat Features:__ - These tropical and warm seas have both deep and shallow coastal waters and are lagoons of coral atolls and reefs. - Mostly, the sea-water temperatures are between 21 - 25°C. - But, most whale sharks are found in water temperatures around 27°C. - Salinity: 28.5 (Indian Ocean)

__Geologic processes:__ - There is active sea floor spreading in the Indian ocean and plate tectonics.

__Migration Patterns:__ - Whale sharks are known as highly migratory. Research suggests that the sharks may embark on a northerly migration. Sharks are potentially at risk of 'unsustainable hunting pressure' when they leave Australian waters. - The sharks usually appear at locations where seasonal food 'pulses' are known to occur. - These migrations may take years to complete.



__Population Estimate:__ -Most recent population count was 1,275 individuals.

__Survival Trends:__ - Reductions have occurred regardless of the advanced protection of whale sharks in Australian waters.

__Appearance:__ - The whale shark is the largest living fish species in the world, reaching lengths of 15 – 20 m. - The whale shark has a broad, flat head with a large mouth containing small teeth. The body is grey with a white belly. It has yellowish spots and/or stripes on its skin. These spots are unique and individual to each shark. - A whale shark was recorded at 12.65 m (41.5 ft) long, weighed more than 21.5 tons (47,300 lb), and had a girth of 7 m (23 ft).

__Reproduction:__ - The reproductive habits of the  whale shark   are currently unclear. - It is believed that the eggs remain in the body and the females give birth to live young who are 40 to 60 cm long. - It is considered that whale sharks reach sexual maturity at around 30 years and the life span has been estimated to be between 60 and 150 years. - The breeding and reproductive habits of rhincodon typus are difficult to hypothesize because only one pregnant whale shark has ever been recorded. __Anatomy and Physiology__: - The whale shark is a filter feeder and has a spacious mouth which can be up to 1.5 m (5 ft) wide and can contain up to 300 rows of tiny teeth. - It has five large pairs of gills. - Its two small eyes are located towards the front of the  shark 's wide, flat head. - The body is mainly grey with a white belly. - It has three prominent ridges along each side and the skin is marked with of pale yellow spots and stripes. The spots are different on each  whale shark. - The whale shark can have skin up to 10 cm (about 4 in.) thick. - The  shark   has two pairs of dorsal fins and pectoral fins. - A juvenile  whale shark 's tail has a larger upper fin than lower fin, but once it matures the adult tail becomes semi-lunate or crescent-shaped. - The  shark 's spiracles are behind the eyes. - The  whale shark   is not an efficient swimmer, and has an average speed of 5km/h.



__Food/ Diet:__ - The  whale shark   is a filter feeder. - It feeds on phytoplankton, macro-algae, plankton, krill and small nektonic life. - The  shark sucks in a mouthful of water, closes its mouth and expels the water through its gills. Between closing the mouth and opening the gill flaps, plankton is trapped against the dermal denticles which cover its gill plates and pharynx. Any substance trapped in the filter between the gill bars is swallowed. -  Whale shark s have been seen "coughing" and it is assumed that it is a process of clearing a build up of food particles in the gill rakers. - The  shark   can circulate water at a rate up to 1.7 L/s (3.5 US pint/s). - The  whale shark   is an active feeder and targets mixtures of plankton or fish. - Some whale shark s gather together at reefs off the Belizean Caribbean coast, substituting their ordinary diet by feeding on the roe of giant   cubera snapper s. - The   whale shark   does not need to swim forward while feeding. It has been observed in a vertical position, 'bobbing' up and down swallowing water and actively filtering for food. - No animals prey on whale sharks. - Although protected in many countries, Taiwanese people catch and eat whale sharks. Whale shark meat is sold in lots of restaurants and is called 'Tofu shark'.



__Economic Importance:__
 * -** The whale shark is protected because of its importance for ecotourism and the increased profit that it provides compared to fisheries.

__Endangerment/ Threats:__ - Before 1995’s protection law, the whale shark was common in by catch and was targeted by some fisherman. - They were used for meat and liver oil. - The demand for this meat and oil in Taiwan grew dramatically, until the fishery ban in 1998. - The  whale shark   is targeted by artisanal and commercial fisheries in several areas where they seasonally collect them. - Whale sharks’ flesh is highly valued in some Asian markets. - The recent increase in the demand for shark-fin soup threatens this species - Most likely, the whale shark is long-lived with a slow reproduction rate which makes populations particularly vulnerable to exploitation. - On the rare occasion that these creatures come close to shore, they are important tourist attractions. - Two whale sharks are featured as the main attraction of a Japenese aquarium and as of 2005, three whale sharks are being studied in captivity in  Japan. Four whale sharks, two males, and two females, are held in an aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia. Two male whale sharks, died in captivity at the Georgia Aquarium on January 11, 2007 and June 13, 2007. The two males were added on in 2006 in hopes that reproduction in whale sharks could be studied in captivity. One whale shark is held in captivity in the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai. As of October 2008, there is growing pressure to release the animal back to its natural environment.



__Conservation Efforts:__ - The whale shark is legally protected in the Philippines since 1998. -  International conservation and management plans are encouraged by its listing on Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species. - A national recovery plan for rhincodon typus was established in 2005 (Environment Australia 2005). This includes actions to increase levels of international cooperation for the conservation management of the whale shark and to maintain and develop monitoring programs.

__Solutions:__ - If the research of the whale shark could be improved to the point that humans become aware of breeding and reproduction methods of the shark safely than they could be saved. With this maintaining or increasing the population may become simpler. More observation of the whale shark in its natural habitat would populate the species. - The only reason that the whale shark is not on the endangered list, but on the vulnerable list is because of our lack of knowledge about the species. More sightings can be recorded and studied to enhance our knowledge of whale sharks. The more we learn about this amazing fish, the better we will understand its vulnerability and be able to help stop the endangerment.
 * -** By catch is a major problem amongst all marine animals and if it could be controlled better than not only would the whale shark be removed from the vulnerable list but so would other animals. This could protect a lot of animals from becoming endangered and extinct.

__Scavenger Hunt Questions__: - What type of environment is the whale shark found in? - How does the whale shark eat? - Describe what the whale shark looks like?

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