Tuesday 30 August 2022

30th August : International Whale Shark Day

International Whale Shark Day

Whale Shark?  We know Whales. They are mammals like humans.  They give birth to young ones and feed them milk. We Know Sharks, they are fish, they lay eggs.  Whales produce sound to communicate, whereas sharks don't have that skill. What is Whale Shark? A whale shark is a shark.  It is the biggest living species of shark on our planet.  

Despite the fact that they are so big, their teeth are very small, and they move slowly in the ocean at 5 km per hour. Despite the fact that they can dive up to 1,000 meters, they prefer to roam seas that have around a 50-meter depth.  For this reason, they can be hunted easily. The skin pattern of each whale shark is unique, just like the fingerprint of humans.

We are losing this unique animal because of overhunting for its meat, skin, and bone, colliding with boats, getting trapped in fishing nets, and consuming plastics thrown at sea.

In 2008, during the International Whale Shark Conference held in Isla Holbox,  over 40 whale experts and ocean activists declared August  30th as International Whale Day. In 2012, it got its momentum and since then it is celebrated all around the world.

Below Rhincodon_typus (whale shark) stamp was issued by India Post in 2009.

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