Whale Shark: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Shark Week · day 2 of 7

Five facts

1. The deepest whale shark dive on record reached 1,928 m. Its eyes are tuned to blue light, the main light deep in the ocean.
2. One 12.1 m whale shark had a mouth 1.55 m wide. Inside, 20 filter pads and over 300 rows of tiny teeth help it feed.
3. A pregnant whale shark nicknamed Rio Lady swam 7,772 km in 150 days, from Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
4. A whale shark can push more than 6,000 L of seawater through its gill pads every hour, filtering plankton, krill and tiny fish.
5. A 10.6 m female caught in 1996 was carrying about 300 pups, showing that baby whale sharks hatch inside their mother.

The quiz

1. What is the deepest whale shark dive on record?

• 1,928 m (correct)
• 19 m
• 192 m
• 19,280 m

The deepest recorded dive reached 1,928 m.

2. How wide was the mouth of the measured 12.1 m whale shark?

• 0.15 m
• 12 m
• 5 m
• 1.55 m (correct)

The 12.1 m whale shark had a mouth 1.55 m wide.

3. How far did the whale shark Rio Lady swim in 150 days?

• 7,772 km (correct)
• 77 km
• 777 km
• 77,720 km

Rio Lady swam 7,772 km in 150 days while pregnant.

4. How much seawater can a whale shark push through its gill pads each hour?

• About 60 L
• More than 6,000 L (correct)
• About 600 L
• More than 600,000 L

It can push more than 6,000 L of seawater through its gill pads each hour.

5. About how many pups was a 10.6 m female whale shark carrying in 1996?

• About 3
• About 30
• About 300 (correct)
• About 3,000

The 10.6 m female was carrying about 300 pups.

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