Whale Shark sightings in the Red Sea are on the increase!

- Whale Shark taken at the Brothers

Since November 2006 two new whale sharks have been formally identified and added to the ECOCEAN Photo Identification Library bringing the count to 6 in the Red Sea.

ECOCEAN is a global data collection programme that uses a special computerized technique to identify the spots on the skin of the Whale Shark similar to how NASA “maps” the stars in the galaxies. The total number of recorded Whale Sharks is less than 3000, with just 772 identified worldwide.

Whale sharks have been sighted in the last few weeks, north around the area of Shabruur Umm Gamar and as far South as Shaab Rumi in Sudan. Several Whale Sharks have also been seen imbetween, in the areas around Marsa Alam and Fury Shoal.

The Whale Shark, Rhincodon typus dates back to the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods 245 -65 million years ago.
Whale Sharks are fish and therefore obtain oxygen via their gills.
Whale Sharks are regarded as highly migratory.
Whale Sharks have internal fertilization and produce live young. Pups are born at fraction of their adult size – being only approximately 55cm in length at birth, and reaching sexual maturity it is thought at after 30 years.
The estimated life span of a Whale Shark is between 80 and 150 years.

The whale shark is considered “vulnerable to extinction” by the ICUN, but is only protected in a few of the approximately 100 countries it is said to visit - indicating the need for us all to be concerned for the future of this amazing giant of the oceans!

взято: http://www.spotredsea.com/newsletter/issue226/
про китовых можно почитать ещё здесь:
www.whalesharkproject.org
www.ecocean.org