Cracking the mysteries of the elusive, majestic whale shark
Cracking the mysteries of the elusive, majestic whale shark
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It's the biggest shark. And it is the biggest fish in the sea. It is often found roaming in warm waters around the globe. It often has its huge mouth agape in search of dinner.

Yet despite its hulking appearance, the whale shark has only tiny, almost useless teeth. It is sometimes so docile that entire boatloads of people can swim alongside the enigmatic, spotted beast. It's also one of the least understood animals in the oceans.

A group of scientists spent several weeks diving with whale sharks in the Galapagos Islands. This was last summer and fall. They were attempting to solve some of the most enduring mysteries. They tried some never-before-used techniques on the species in the wild. For instance, they took blood samples and did ultrasound exams. They did this while swimming furiously beside them underwater.

Here's what's known about these massive marine animals. And here is what scientists are still trying to find out:


While they are comparable in size to whales, whale sharks are sharks. They typically grow to be bigger than a double-decker bus. They grow to 20 to 52 feet. They can weigh more than 20 tons. But they are filter feeders. As such, the enormous whale sharks are dangerous only to the plankton, fish eggs and tiny fish they chomp on.

The gentle giants aren't particularly fast when compared to other sharks. But a simple wave of their tail propels them through the water faster than any human could ever swim. They have broad, flat heads. Their entire dark-blue bodies are covered in dots that act as camouflage underwater.

They have been overhunted by fishermen for years. Now whale sharks are endangered and at risk of extinction.


Whale sharks prefer warm waters. They are often found feeding at locations around the world. These locations include Australia and the Philippines. It includes Mexico and even in the oil fields off the coast of Qatar.

Hundreds of whale sharks — mostly young males — gather in these areas at certain times of the year. They do this to scoop up fish eggs. It is unknown where adult females are feeding then.

The vastness of the ocean usually makes the shy animals hard to find. Jacques Cousteau only ever saw two in his decades of sea exploration.


Marine biologists have been tagging whale sharks in recent years. They do this to track their movements. Others are trying to answer questions about their life and reproductive cycles. Only one pregnant whale shark has ever been found. In 1995, a dead whale shark was found off the coast of Taiwan with 300 embryos inside. All the embryos were different stages of development.

"The million-dollar questions are where are they mating, hunting and where do their young live?" That's the question asked by Jonathan Green. He is director of the Galapagos Whale Shark Project.

An international database was launched to identify as many whale sharks as possible through their distinctive dot pattern. Each shark has a unique configuration of dots. The dots act like a fingerprint. More than 8,000 sharks have been logged so far. Scientists can only afford to spend a few weeks in the Galapagos each year. So they depend on photos taken by visiting divers to figure out what the whale sharks are up to. So far, none of the sharks spotted in the Galapagos has been seen anywhere else.


It is difficult to conduct a medical exam on a free-swimming whale shark. So researchers only obtained two blood samples. These samples haven't yet been tested. The ultrasound exams were inconclusive. That's because more powerful machines are needed. Most ultrasound machines for animals are intended for abdominal walls that are 1 to 2 inches thick. But a whale shark's abdominal wall is about 8 inches.



Green and colleagues are planning further expeditions to the Galapagos later this year to continue their research. They plan to gather more blood samples and continue satellite tagging.

"When you have so few data points, every single shark is important," said Robert Hueter. He is the director of the Center for Shark Research at Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida. He was not part of the Galapagos research. "These aren't like goldfish where you can get sample sizes of hundreds at a time."


In the last 75 years, the vast majority of whale sharks have been hunted by people for food and their numbers are still dropping, said Simon Pierce. He is chief scientist at the Marine Megafauna Foundation.

Some biologists worry climate change could hurt the sharks by reducing their food supply. Rising ocean temperatures could mean less plankton.

"If we do the things that are necessary to conserve the whale sharks, we'll be conserving the ocean itself," said Simon Thorrold. He works at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts.


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How can a shark be a whale?
Write your answers in the comments section below

  • karlised-orv
    3/07/2018 - 11:46 a.m.

    A shark can be a whale because, the whale shark has a shark body, but the food chain of a whale.

  • jeremyj-orv
    3/07/2018 - 07:26 p.m.

    That is such a beautiful animal being researched, personally, I believe an animal can be both a shark and a whale.

  • JasaO-dec
    3/12/2018 - 09:51 a.m.

    I always thought whale sharks were really cool. It’s incredible to think about how big creatures like whale sharks actually exist and are swimming around in the ocean. It would just be so cool to swim with one, especially since they’re so big and they wouldn’t harm you. They’re also pretty cute too!

  • MorganM-dec
    3/12/2018 - 09:52 a.m.

    A shark can also be a whale because of size and the way they move.

  • John-E2
    3/12/2018 - 10:07 a.m.

    has anyone ever Swaim with a whale shark because you should do it soon because they're going endangered!

  • Neveahh-orv
    3/12/2018 - 10:33 a.m.

    I think that a shark cant really be a whale because that would be very weird if a shark could be a whale but it actually can be cool

  • HannahH-dec1
    3/12/2018 - 11:07 a.m.

    A shark can't be a whale the reason of its name is because of its size and diet of plankton, krill, shrimp, and tiny fish

  • GavinM-dec
    3/12/2018 - 11:08 a.m.

    I nevr seen a thing like that and that is relly crazy

  • Evan Patrick-ivy
    3/12/2018 - 12:47 p.m.

    A shark can be a whale because the sizes comparing a whale shark is the size of a bus.

  • Abraham,JoelJ-ivy
    3/12/2018 - 01:20 p.m.

    I learned a lot from this passage. I was taught that whale sharks were not sharks. This passage proves that fact wrong. I also didn't know that whale sharks were endangered animals. I just read somewhere that scientists didn't know if they were endangered or not. I guess they had just figured that out.

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