VietNamNet Bridge - The authorities of Van Thang commune in Van Ninh district of Khanh Hoa Province on January 28 handed over the body of a whale shark to the Nha Trang Oceanography Institute to be embalmed for scientific research.

The whale shark.

The whale shark weighs over a ton, with the circumference of nearly 3 m and a length of 5.5 m. The fish had many injuries and was found stuck in nets of fishermen in the estuary of Van Ninh on January 23. Local fishermen tried to take the fish back to the sea but it died.

"This is a species of whale shark with scientific name Rhincodon typus Smith, which is listed in the Red Book. The Nha Trang Oceanography Institute will embalm the shark for study. Previously the Institute successfully embalmed and displayed some whale sharks that were washed ashore to the coast of Vung Tau, Binh Dinh ... ", said Mr. Vo Van Quang, an official from the Oceanographic Institute of Nha Trang.

The whale shark is a slow-moving filter feeding shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 12.65 m and a weight of about 21.5 tons.

The whale shark holds many records for sheer size in the animal kingdom, most notably being by far the largest living non mammalian vertebrate.

The whale shark is found in open waters of the tropical oceans and is rarely found in water below 22 °C. Modeling suggests a lifespan of about 70 years but measurements have proven difficult.

Whale sharks have very large mouths and are filter feeders, which is a feeding mode that occurs in only two other sharks, the megamouth shark and the basking shark. They feed mainly on plankton and are generally considered harmless to humans.

The species was distinguished in April 1828 after the harpooning of a 4.6 m specimen in Table Bay, South Africa. Andrew Smith, a military doctor associated with British troops stationed in Cape Town, described it the following year. The name "whale shark" comes from the fish's size, being as large as some species of whales and also a filter feeder like baleen whales.

Linh Nhat