In Kiswahili the whale shark is called “papa shillingi”, which means “shark covered in shillings”. The Kenyan legend tells that God was so pleased when he created this beautiful fish that he gave his angels handfuls of gold and silver coins to throw down from Heaven onto its back; the whale sharks swim near the surface, catching the sun on their backs, as a way of saying thank you to their maker.

The whale shark is known as “marokintana” in Madagascar, which means “many stars”.

The whale shark is revered as a deity in Vietnamese culture, where it is known as “Ca Ong”, which literally translates to “Sir Fish”.

Whale sharks are considered vulnerable by the IUCN. Although the fishing, selling, exporting and importing of whale sharks was banned in the Philippines in 1998, India in 2001, and Taiwan in 2007, hunting of the species continues.

A female whale shark caught off the Taiwanese coast in 1995 was found to be carrying over 300 embryos at differing stages of development, leading scientists to suggest that females can store sperm after mating and fertilize eggs as they are produced.

Whale sharks are ovoviviparous, meaning “egg live birth”. The embryos form inside membranous shells that are shed within the mother, who then gives birth to them live.

Whale sharks use their entire bodies as they swim and reach an average speed of about 3.1 mph.

Despite their gigantic size, whale sharks are filter feeders that mostly eat plankton, krill and small fish, and though their mouths can attain a width of 4.9 feet, their esophagus is only about the size of a US quarter.

Whale sharks are the largest fish on Earth with an average length between 18 and 33 feet, although they are known to reach lengths of 40 feet. While there are claims of whale sharks over 60 feet long, they are unconfirmed.

Prepare for some spam: it’s Whale Shark Wednesday!

(Source: animaladdiction, via sharksandstuff)