Plant trees to mark International Whale Shark Day and connect with a global effort to protect a species facing habitat loss, boat strikes, and warming seas.
Today is #InternationalWhaleSharkDay! 🦈🌊 A day to celebrate the world’s largest fish and the incredible biodiversity of our oceans. Mark the day with a positive action for our planet: replant this tree 🌱
Whale sharks are the largest member of the shark family and the largest fish in the world. Weighing up to 20 tonnes, they can grow up to 14 m long – that’s as long as a school bus! However, these pelagic animals do not evoke the same fearful reaction in us as their smaller cousins do, instead, they are arguably the most gentle giant you’ll meet. Their relaxed demeanour and enormous size could be what inspired their somewhat confusing name, as they are not related to whales in any way. Living in warm waters around the world, whale sharks are filter feeders rendering their 3,000 tiny (around 5 mm long) teeth, of not much use while they spend their days hoovering up not only plankton and fish eggs but also small fish and squid. Being filter feeders means they filter thousands of litres of water through their gills to catch their food. Since they only reach maturity at the age of 25 it’s no surprise that their sole focus in their younger years is food, fuelling an epic growth spurt from 55–64 cm at birth to over 14 m, requiring an equally epic proportion of food!
Whale sharks are filter feeding sharks, and are the biggest fish, growing up to 12 meters long. Whale sharks are under threat:
"Many sharks are accidentally caught in fishing gear, as well as caught deliberately for their fins, which are a delicacy in Asia.
Their ocean home is also in danger. From climate change warming the water - affecting both habitats, prey and shark population shifts - to plastic pollution, which could cause entanglement or be ingested, especially by filter feeders." (wwf)
I also recently set up a monthly plan on Only one, planting mangroves and corals every month as well as removing plastic from the ocean. If anyone is interested, if you use the following link you can get an extra 30 mangrove trees planted for you https://only.one/invite/URRTC842 (hope it's okay to mention that here, planting trees is important but so is protecting the ocean)