听
鈥淔ISH are friends, not food,鈥� goes the famous line in the film Finding Nemo. But these whale sharks clearly didn鈥檛 get the memo. The filter feeders strain small fish and plankton from the water using their large mouths, which can reach 1.5 metres wide in the biggest individuals.
Advertisement
Whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, are the biggest fish on Earth, reaching up to 20 metres long and weighing up to 20 tonnes. Despite their size, the slow-moving giants aren鈥檛 dangerous to humans 鈥� juveniles have been known to play with divers. But humans are a threat to them, with the species considered endangered as numbers decline from fishing, accidental capture alongside other fish, and collisions with vessels.
This photograph was taken in Cenderawasih Bay, off the coast of the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua. Whale sharks are found year-round here, often emerging at the water鈥檚 surface and swimming close to bagan, mobile fishing platforms with attached fish traps or nets. The sharks have learned to feed on fish through nets, and also receive handouts from locals.
Around the world, whale sharks are found in tropical waters. They tend to cluster at various coastal areas, drawn by seasonal increases in prey, including zooplankton blooms and fish spawning. While they spend the majority of their time in the top 200 metres of the ocean, the sharks regularly dive to more than 500 metres, with some dives to depths of more than 1 kilometre recorded.
