The Dorsal Fin

An article in The Daily Mail suggests that a diver was nearly swallowed by a whale shark.

The UK’s Daily Mail posted an article today with the title “Open wide: The diver who nearly got swallowed by a whale shark.” While the headline itself seems a bit ridiculous in nature, the article does feature some nice shots of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) off of Isla Mujeres, which were taken by Mauricio Handler.

In the photo that is captioned with “Jaws: This diver almost got sucked into the mouth of a massive whale shark as it fed on plankton” uses perspective that might give the impression that the diver is about to be sucked up by the whale shark at first glance. However, as one of the Daily Mail readers already pointed out in the article’s comments section, the whale shark in the photo is actually closer to the camera than the diver, which exaggerates its size in relation to the diver. The diver appears to be behind (in relation to the camera) the whale shark and not in any harm’s way. The article also notes that if a whale shark were to swallow a human, it would have just spat him out.

The National Georgraphic YouTube channel recently added this video featuring photographer Tom Campbell discussing capturing a shot of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) at Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef. Campbell talks about how all the elements came into play just right to capture a “killer shot.”

While this video has been around for a few years on National Geographic’s site, as well as YouTube. This recently uploaded version appears to have significantly higher video quality than some of the past offerings.

LiveScience.com is reporting that an August, 2009 aggregation of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) off the Yucatán Peninsula numbered up to 420 whale sharks within a 7 square-mile area. While this whale shark aggregation had previously been reported in the past, yesterday scientists announced that they had tallied the number of the animals to be an estimated 420.

For the full article on the recent whale shark report, check out LiveScience.com.

YouTube user WFF0001 recently posted the above video of a whale shark (Rhincodon typus) making an appearance at the Guy Harvey sponsored Bimini Big Game Club Billfish Invitational. The video features some free-divers “hitching a ride” on the shark by hanging on to the shark’s dorsal and caudal fins.

Similar videos in the past have generated debate centered around the “no-touch” philosophy of diving. Some argue that whale sharks don’t appear to be bothered by swimmers and divers “hitching a ride,” based on the fact that the animals don’t immediately try to leave the area when this kind of activity occurs. While whale sharks are also listed as a “vulnerable” species on the IUCN Red List, those with the “no harm, no foul” philosophy that point out that whale sharks are not in any danger of being injured by people “hitching a ride.”

The other side of the argument is that the whale sharks don’t really have a say in the matter and can’t express whether or not they’re bothered by people “riding” them.

If you have an opinion on the “riding whale sharks” debate, feel free to share it in the comments section.

VOA TV to Africa has posted this news feature about whale shark (Rhincodon typus) conservation efforts in Kenya. While measures have been taken in Kenya to protect whale sharks, it is currently still legal for fisherman to harvest the species.

A fisherman interviewed in the report point out that a whale shark is an attractive catch due to its large liver. Oil from a whale shark’s liver is a valuable commodity for fisherman, and a single whale shark’s liver can last a fisherman multiple years. The report also notes that fins from smaller reef sharks are also a prized commodity. The sale of the fins, meat, and liver of one reef shark can generate enough income to sustain a family for an entire month, according to the report.

The Kenyan-based East African Whale Shark Trust has been promoting the protection of the species through public-awareness campaigns. The campaigns educate the public about the value of the sharks to the environment and to Kenya’s eco-tourism market in hope to decrease the demands for whale shark liver oil.