WHALE SHARK

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WHALE SHARKS
GENTLE GIANTS OF THE DEEP
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Whale Sharks are NOT whales, they are sharks.

• Their scientific name is
• Rincondon typus.

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Whale Sharks are HUGE!!

• They can grow up to 46 feet in length
• Weighing up to 30,000 pounds
• An average size is 25 feet
• It is the largest fish in the world, and females
  are larger than the males

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color

• Whale sharks have dark gray skin with yellow
  stripes and dots on it

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Habitat

• Whale sharks live near the equator in both
  shallow, coastal waters and the deep open ocean,
  feeding near the surface

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Prey

• They eat plankton, krill, small fish, and squid
• It is a filter feeder, skimming along the top of
  the water with its huge mouth open, taking in
  every thing small enough to fit in its mouth

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PREDATORS

• Humans

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REPRODUCTION

• Whale sharks reach sexual maturity at about 30
  years of age.
• The eggs develop within the mothers body, but
  the young are born alive.
• The babies are about
• 2 FEET LONG at birth.
• Females may contain 300 live young.

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• One whale shark egg is the size of a
• FOOTBALL!

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ENDANGERED STATUS

• Vulnerable

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