|
We fished around an ocean of web sites to reel in the answer to your question. According to Ocean Link and several other fish-fact sites, the Whale Shark, or Rhincodon typus, holds the title of largest fish ever caught. In 1919, a specimen measuring 59 feet was captured in the Gulf of Thailand. Not coincidentally, the Whale Shark is considered the largest species of fish, as adults often grow to be 45 feet long and can weigh up to 15 tons. Whale Sharks are
not related to whales (which are mammals, not fish). They may have earned the name because of their large size and the fact that, like whales, Whale Sharks are filter feeders. They suck up plankton and small sea creatures as they swim with their mouths open. Despite having thousands of teeth, this type of shark is harmless to humans. Whale sharks are found in the warm, tropical oceans of the world, although their numbers are declining. The 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species labels the Whale Shark as a "vulnerable" species, meaning that it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild in the not-too-distant future.
|
