Whale shark habitat | whale shark thousand needles
Distribution and habitat
The whale shark inhabits almost all tropical and warm-temperate oceans. The fish is generally pelagic, living in the open up sea but not in the greater depths of the ocean, though it is known to occasionally dive to depths of as much as 1, 800 metres (5, 900 ft).|17| Temporary feeding aggregations occur in several coastal sites like the southern and eastern elements of South Africa; Saint Helena Island in the South Atlantic Marine; Gulf of Tadjoura in Djibouti, Gladden Spit in Belize; Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia; Kerala|18|, Lakshadweep, Gulf of Kutch and Saurashtra coast of Gujarat in India;|19| Útila in Honduras; Southern Leyte; Donsol, Pasacao and Batangas in the Korea; off Isla Mujeres and Isla Holbox in Yucatan and Bahía de los Ángeles in Baja California, México; Maamigili island, Maldives; Ujung Kulon National Park in Indonesia; Cenderawasih Bay Country specific Park in Nabire, Papua, Indonesia; Flores Island, Dalam negri; Nosy Be in Madagascar; away Tofo Beach near Inhambane in Mozambique; the Tanzanian islands of Mafia, Pemba, Zanzibar; Gulf of Tadjoura in Djibouti, the Advertising Dimaniyat Islands in the Gulf of Oman and Way Hallaniyat islands in the Arabian Sea; and, very rarely, Eilat, Israel and Aqaba, Michael jordan. Although typically seen overseas, it has been found closer to land, entering lagoons or coral formations atolls, and near the teeth of estuaries and rivers. Its range is generally restricted to about 30° latitude. It is actually capable of diving to depths of at least 1, 286 m (4, 219 ft),|20| and is migratory.|9| On 7 February 2012, a large whale shark was found floating 150 kms (93 mi) off the shoreline of Karachi, Pakistan. The length of the specimen was considered to be between 11 and doze m (36 and 39 ft), with a weight of around 15, 000 kilogram (33, 000 lb).|21|
In 2011, more than 400 whale sharks gathered off the Yucatan Coast. It was one of the largest gatherings of whale fishes recorded.|22| Aggregations in that area are one of the most reliable seasonal gatherings praised for whale sharks, with large numbers occurring in most years among May and September. Connected ecotourism has grown rapidly to unsustainable levels.|23|
Not mating nor pupping of whale sharks has been observed.
The capture of a feminine in July 1996 that was pregnant with three hundred pups indicated whale fishes are ovoviviparous.|9||24||25| The eggs remain in the body and the females give birth to live fresh which are 40 to 62 cm (16 to 24 in) long. Evidence signifies the pups are not every born at once, but rather the female retains sperm from one pairing and produces a steady stream of pups over a continuous period.|26| They reach sexual maturity at around 30 years and their life-span is an estimated 70|9| to 100 years.|27|
On 7 March 2009, marine scientists in the Thailand discovered what is believed to be the tiniest living specimen of the whale shark. The young shark, measuring only 38 centimeter (15 in), was discovered with its tail tied to a stake at a seaside in Pilar, Sorsogon, Korea, and was released into the outdoors. Based on this discovery, a few scientists no longer believe this area is just a feeding ground; this web site may be a birthing surface, as well. Both young whale sharks and pregnant females have been seen in the oceans of Saint Helena inside the South Atlantic Ocean, in which numerous whale sharks can be spotted during the summer.
The whale shark is a filtration system feeder - one of only three known filter-feeding shark species (along with the basking shark and the megamouth shark). It feeds on plankton including copepods, krill, seafood eggs, Christmas Island purple crab larvae |30| and small nektonic life, such as small squid or fish. It also passes on clouds of eggs during mass spawning of fish and corals.|31| The many rows of vestigial teeth play no purpose in feeding. Feeding comes about either by ram purification, in which the animal opens the mouth and swims frontward, pushing water and food into the mouth, or by energetic suction feeding, in which the dog opens and closes the mouth, sucking in sizes of water that are then expelled through the gills. In both cases, the filtration system pads serve to separate foodstuff from water. These one of a kind, black sieve-like structures are presumed to be modified gill rakers. Food separation in whale sharks is by cross-flow filtration, in which the water moves nearly parallel to the filtration pad surface, not perpendicularly through it, before transferring to the outside, while denser food particles continue to the back with the throat.|32| This is certainly an extremely efficient filtration technique that minimizes fouling from the filter pad surface. Whale sharks have been observed "coughing", presumably to clear a build-up of particles from the filtration system pads. Whale sharks migrate to feed and possibly to breed.
2019-01-10 14:02:43
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