American Kaleidoscope: The most mysterious fish in the deep sea-whale shark
WASHINGTON —
In today's advanced science, there are still many unsolved mysteries on the earth. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world, and the least understood. A team of scientists came to the Coron Islands in the eastern Pacific Ocean, dived into the beautiful deep sea, and tried to unlock the life code of whale sharks.
These are the largest fish in the ocean, but unlike their great white relatives, whale sharks are suave gentlemen who eat only small fish and plankton.
They can weigh up to 40,000 pounds and be 20 to 50 feet long, larger than a double-decker car.
However, these huge creatures are very delicate, and before scientists can understand their habits, overfishing has pushed them to the brink of extinction.
"It's so hard to get close to this group of whale sharks that some scientists call them a mystery species," said Alex Hearne, a scientist at the University of San Francisco in Quito.
Most male whale sharks live in warm waters, but a team of biologists has discovered that the Coron Islands in the eastern Pacific Ocean, near the equator, are a special place.
"For scientists, the Coron Sea Life Reserve is a fantastic water area, a cradle of evolution, the only place where there are large numbers of hammerhead sharks, a healthy marine ecosystem, and a great diversity of species," Hearn said.
Understanding the habits of these female whale sharks will help unlock the secrets of this species' life cycle.
"We're studying the sexual maturity of whale sharks, how often they mate, where they mate and where they breed, their survival rates and juvenile status, there's a lot we don't know," Hearn said.
Scientists equipped some whale sharks with tracking devices in the waters of Coron to understand the dynamics of female whale sharks.
When they found the living area of the female whale shark, scientists discovered an interesting phenomenon.
In the vast ocean, female whale sharks like to move in waters where warm water and cold water meet, the so-called upwelling (UPWELLING) waters.
Food is abundant in these waters, but scientists believe whale sharks live here for more than just food. Scientists speculate that female whale sharks come here to give birth and avoid potential danger.
Currently, scientists are learning more about the dynamics of female whale sharks during pregnancy and the status of calves in order to take effective measures to protect this precious species.
