28 June 2011
Posted in
NatureWorks
Up to 420 whale sharks recently gathered off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, forming the world’s largest known assembly of this species. With the largest whale shark ever measurring 40ft. long, with some thought to grow even bigger, this kind of gathering can be quite a sight!
Whale sharks can weigh more than 79,000 pounds and are solitary filter feeders that prefer to be alone in the ocean. The impressive shark assembly proves they will gather for the right reasons. Food now appears to be the draw.
Whale sharks are the largest species of fish in the world, yet they mostly feed on the smallest organisms in the ocean. In spite of their enormous size, whale sharks are not aggressive and move very slowly. Usually they’re seen in the ocean with their up to 5 foot wide mouths open, waiting for food to float in. Tests determined that the whale sharks were gathered feeding on coveted fish eggs from little tunny, a member of the mackerel family.
