Celebrate International Whale Shark Day Every August 30

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Did you know the whale shark has its very own day? Well it does, and it’s an international day, too: International Whale Shark Day.

The first celebration of the whale shark happened in 2008. That was the year when experts at the International Whale Shark Conference (yep, the whale shark also has its very own conference!) decided the animal needed its own day.

It’s an important day too. Its purpose is to raise awareness of yet another animal that has been over hunted and is now vulnerable to extinction.

 

A Bit About the Whale Shark

First, about that name: It’s not a whale, and it’s not related to a whale. But it is a shark.

We don’t really know too much about them, but scientists are trying to learn more. Here’s some of what we do know:

• They can grow to about 14 meters (46 feet) long and weigh a whopping 21 tons. This makes them the biggest fish on the planet. Despite their size, they’re not dangerous to you.
• They’re not like Jaws, with big teeth that can rip you apart. This gentle giant is a filter-feeder, which means it eats mostly microscopic plankton. They can also eat other fish and squid.
• They do have teeth, and a lot of them (about 3,000 of them!). But those teeth are only about 6 mm long (that’s tiny) and not of any use for eating.
• Whale sharks live in tropical areas around the word.

 

They’re also very popular. Not for being cute or pretty, though. Unfortunately, in a lot of places they’re popular for their meat and fins (the fins are popular in Chinese medicine). This means too many have been killed.

And now the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) classifies whale sharks as endangered. Sadly this means we’re not doing a good job of saving them. The IUCN had originally listed them as vulnerable in 2000 but changed the classification in 2016.

Some cultures do treat the whale shark with more respect. For example, the Vietnamese call it ‘Ca Ong’, which translates as ‘Sir Fish’. They believe it is a deity.

And in Mexico, along with many other countries, the huge fish is a large part of the ecotourism trade.

In some ways ecotourism can help protect the whale shark in those areas. But in other ways it can put pressure on their populations. So it’s important to manage tourism responsibly.

But the whale sharks face other threats, too:

• Pollution
• Collisions with boats
• Depletion of their habitats

 

Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this unofficial and not at all fishy holiday.

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Ideas For Celebrating International Whale Shark Day

If you have the chance to go see or swim with the whale sharks, this would be the perfect day to do that. Or spend part of the day planning a trip for the near future.

Lonely Planet offers a list of the best places to swim with whale sharks.

There are whale shark seasons, though. For example, in Mexico the whale sharks migrate away by about mid-September. Whale shark season in Australia starts in late May or early April and runs into August.

So you may have to wait until next year to spend time with the whale sharks. But it’s never to early to start planning!

If you don’t think you’ll be able to take a trip in the near future, you can still take some time on International Whale Shark Day to learn more about these gentle creatures. The more you know, the more you’ll want to protect them too:

• How whale sharks feed includes information on how and what they eat, along with a link to the research paper its based on.
• Each whale shark has a unique pattern of white spots.
• Overview of whale shark discovery, habitat, food, and more from the Florida Museum of Natural History.
• The Biology of sharks and Rays, by A. Peter Klimley. This is a more general book on sharks and rays (obviously), but the whale shark is included in sections relevant to it.

 

A few ideas for the kids:

• A whale shark coloring page
• Biggest Fish: Whale Shark from Extreme Science.
• Whale shark Facts from SoftSchools.com.
• Wandering Whale Sharks, by Susumu Shingu (recommended for ages 4-8)
• Whale Shark: Amazing Photos & Fun Facts About Whale Shark For Kids, by Caroline Norsk
• Sharks 1000-Piece Puzzle (recommended for ages 6-15)

 

What will you be doing to celebrate International Whale Shark Day this year?

 

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