A mouthful of teeth and a constantly-hungry stomach is the best description to fit the whale shark. Though the description might be fitting yet it has nothing to do with the real truth. In reality, in terms of diet, the whale sharks are very different from other sharks.
Actually, these friendly giants, the whale sharks are known as filter-feeders. What thay mainly feed on are red crab larvae, krill, plankton, small nektonic vertebrates, squids, macro-algae and small fishes. The whale sharks can gulp in water, filter for food and expulse the water using its gills owing to its unique oral anatomy.
Know that the whale sharks do not have big sharp teeth as what other shark species have. The fact is that, the size of their teeth is relatively smaller considering the fact that their teeth provide no real use regarding feeding. This means that, whale sharks usually do not munch their food. What these whale sharks have being filter-feeders is a unique raking mechanism attached within their gills which serves as a filter of their food from the water they gulp in. Their characteristic as filter-feeders makes their diet odd, interesting yet logical.
Filter-feeding
As a substitute for preying on fishes, a whale shark sucks in mouthfuls of water loaded with planktons, tiny fishes and macro-algae. Afterward, it closes its mouth to catch the water inside of it, that is definitely funneled through the gill flaps, where water is gotten rid of. Any number of the food particles are jammed from the dermal denticles lining the whale shark's pharynx and gill plates. In order to sifter plankton, the whale sharks use their fine sieve-like contraptions. The measurement of these filters are 2-3 millimeters in diameter, prevent anything aside from water as well as smaller food particles from getting away.
Just about any organic material which is stuck between the gill filters is swallowed in soon after. For a human point of view, the theory of filter-feeding would seem really quite troublesome. You can definitely find it difficult to fully grasp making use of your mouth like a sponge filter and also swallowing the dirt that amasses in the filter. Even if whale sharks are extremely well experienced in regards to filter-feeding, yet the difficulty regarding it is not really lost for them. More often than not, these whale sharks are reported coughing because they are unable to swallow all the food particles trapped in their gill filters. At some point, the food particles there collect and additionally clog up the filters, making it tough to eat with no need of coughing and, quite possibly, choking.
These creatures are very active feeders. Not like various other species of sharks, or fishes for example, whale sharks seldom cease eating. Considering the fact that filter-feeding also doesn't call for them to aquire for food, whale sharks can just gulp in water regardless of whether they're resting in stationary position.
Various Other Filter-feeder Sharks
The basking shark as well as megamouth shark are among the shark species that filter-feeders. The basking shark doesn't filter-feed the manner in which whale sharks do. As an alternative to gulping and also expelling water thru their gills, basking sharks basically "basks," hence forcing the water to circulate by using their gills. The food particles are in that case accumulated and also swallowed.
Actually, whale sharks are completely different from what you initially believed them to be. They do not use their teeth as they are filter-feeders and they do not have mouthful of sharp teeth.
Actually, these friendly giants, the whale sharks are known as filter-feeders. What thay mainly feed on are red crab larvae, krill, plankton, small nektonic vertebrates, squids, macro-algae and small fishes. The whale sharks can gulp in water, filter for food and expulse the water using its gills owing to its unique oral anatomy.
Know that the whale sharks do not have big sharp teeth as what other shark species have. The fact is that, the size of their teeth is relatively smaller considering the fact that their teeth provide no real use regarding feeding. This means that, whale sharks usually do not munch their food. What these whale sharks have being filter-feeders is a unique raking mechanism attached within their gills which serves as a filter of their food from the water they gulp in. Their characteristic as filter-feeders makes their diet odd, interesting yet logical.
Filter-feeding
As a substitute for preying on fishes, a whale shark sucks in mouthfuls of water loaded with planktons, tiny fishes and macro-algae. Afterward, it closes its mouth to catch the water inside of it, that is definitely funneled through the gill flaps, where water is gotten rid of. Any number of the food particles are jammed from the dermal denticles lining the whale shark's pharynx and gill plates. In order to sifter plankton, the whale sharks use their fine sieve-like contraptions. The measurement of these filters are 2-3 millimeters in diameter, prevent anything aside from water as well as smaller food particles from getting away.
Just about any organic material which is stuck between the gill filters is swallowed in soon after. For a human point of view, the theory of filter-feeding would seem really quite troublesome. You can definitely find it difficult to fully grasp making use of your mouth like a sponge filter and also swallowing the dirt that amasses in the filter. Even if whale sharks are extremely well experienced in regards to filter-feeding, yet the difficulty regarding it is not really lost for them. More often than not, these whale sharks are reported coughing because they are unable to swallow all the food particles trapped in their gill filters. At some point, the food particles there collect and additionally clog up the filters, making it tough to eat with no need of coughing and, quite possibly, choking.
These creatures are very active feeders. Not like various other species of sharks, or fishes for example, whale sharks seldom cease eating. Considering the fact that filter-feeding also doesn't call for them to aquire for food, whale sharks can just gulp in water regardless of whether they're resting in stationary position.
Various Other Filter-feeder Sharks
The basking shark as well as megamouth shark are among the shark species that filter-feeders. The basking shark doesn't filter-feed the manner in which whale sharks do. As an alternative to gulping and also expelling water thru their gills, basking sharks basically "basks," hence forcing the water to circulate by using their gills. The food particles are in that case accumulated and also swallowed.
Actually, whale sharks are completely different from what you initially believed them to be. They do not use their teeth as they are filter-feeders and they do not have mouthful of sharp teeth.
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See this video for an idea of the size of these creatures: Whale Shark Size. More info on Whale Sharks here: Diving with Whale Sharks from Cancun.
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