I remember the fear. The cold and biting water as I plunged into the seemingly bottomless chasm of water, right at the intersection of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. I was far off, somewhere between Isla Mujeres and Isla Holbox, an hour’s journey from miles from my hotel in Playa Del Carmen. I took my last breath, held my breath for a second, and launched from the side of the boat. This was a moment that would forever change me.
On opening my eyes, my whole body jolted with that initial shock not only of cold but…my breath fled, fear, and for a moment it was like a stillness, a death that caught me, as I peered into those eyes locked in an embrace or rather, I was frozen onto those dark, black eyes and then at its gaping mouth. These peaceful monsters no longer mere images but in front of me, hundreds of them, deep blue with white flecks, swimming past me. I looked upon what should have been the ocean floor, but saw nothing; there was no end. Swimming amongst these majestic creatures has forever changed me and acts as an anchor for me in a way I can’t fully articulate.
My 12-year-old barely 5’6 self-up against these up to 60ft long animals. In that moment, as they surrounded me, swimming below me, around me, I felt attacked like prey, but I have learnt they must continuously swim forward to force water over their filter pads and consume the microscopic plankton it feeds on. It can process up to of 6000 litres of water an hour. I now know that their gaping mouth is not so menacing after all, and although they possess thousands of small teeth, these are vestigial, remainders of their once more predatory ancestors the ‘Rhincodon Typus’. This is a gentle giant, the largest of all fish, one of only three types of filter sharks. Their shocking dark eyes are retractable with 3000 toothlike structures covering its outer layer.
This is one of nature’s many strange and beautiful biological paradoxes’, where even I am dwarfed by their sheer size, their diet seems one of an impossibility how are these colossal creatures somehow fuelled by this microscopic prey? This strange adaptation, which caused their gigantism, seems to be what allows them to prey on one of the most abundant foods in the ocean. Their huge size comes with a huge surface area, beneficial for filter feeding. This is why literally hundreds of them swam around me, the plankton bloom, they spend 43% of the time swimming in shallow waters for their prey, and due to their colossal size and large surface area, they have adapted to have gigantothermy, where their body temperature changes extremely slowly, beneficial for their deep dives.
Whale sharks give birth to live young these are endearingly called their ‘pups’. Whale sharks are an ovoviviparous species, meaning they can selectively fertilise their eggs. One interesting case was a pregnant female found in Taiwan holding 300 young at various stages of maturity. They are usually born live at around 45-60 cm and then are left to fend for themselves. In 2018, we even got our first whale shark ultrasound, which offered a rare glimpse into the lives and reproductive system.
Considering this species is a particularly vulnerable and threatened one, as it has just been put on the 2016 red list of flora and fauna, the fact we know so little about their juvenile stage is alarming. It is thought they spend most of their time in pelagic waters or open seas during this stage of their development, which means they are difficult to track and research.
Whale sharks are found most commonly in the Yucatán Peninsula, Ningaloo Reef in Australia, and the Philippines, primarily due to the seasonal plankton blooms in these regions. These remarkable creatures are known for their long-distance migration patterns, travelling vast distances across the globe. Despite their extensive travels, whale sharks only reach sexual maturity at around 25 to 30 years, and even then, they measure only about 9 meters in length. While there are recorded instances of whale sharks living up to 100 years, much of their life cycle remains a mystery.
One of the most puzzling aspects of these creatures is their reproductive cycles and determining their sex. Male whale sharks are identified by their reproductive organs, known as claspers. Interestingly, pregnant females are often found around the Galápagos Islands, where research has shown that 98% of the population is female. This ongoing mystery surrounding their reproductive behaviour, along with so many other aspects of their biology, is part of what has fuelled my obsession with them.
Their beauty is also a significant part of my fascination. In Madagascar, whale sharks are called marokintana, meaning “creature of many stars.” This name comes from the constellation-like pattern on their skin, which resembles the night sky. I find this particularly ironic: we gaze up at the stars, but we have only explored a tiny fraction of our oceans—just 0.001% of the deep seas. In fact, 90% of our oceans remain unexplored and untouched, leaving us with so little understanding of the creatures that inhabit them. This gap in knowledge only deepens the mystery and allure of the whale sharks.
The whale shark had not swum through my mind for a while, not until years later, when I watched Moana 2, and I was resubmerged in a deep fascination and awe for them. Considering their potential 400-million-year ancestry, it is no surprise there are vast amounts of people with various islands and cultures sharing this awe, and many have myths, legends, and stories to tell about these majestic creatures.
There are tribes in Mozambique that have old folklore tales about a passing whale shark taking the eye of God and the angels, so they tossed silver shillings upon it and created their ‘myriad’ patterns, which coined the Swahili name for them as ‘papa shilling.’ Then over in Borneo the whale shark has a different title they are known as ‘Grandma shark’ or Hiu mbox/Hiu nenek, named the grandma sharks as they are said to embody the good nature of a grandma, as they are seen as a kind hearted spirited and its forbidden to hunt them, as there are rumours of them saving drowning men and also bringing fish for the fishermen, all over they are told to bring prosperity and good fortune. And again, over on the Java islands, the Manchu people believe the whale shark is the ancestor of every fish in the whole ocean, a sort of God, the Hiu Kakakek, known as protectors to which the fishermen offer gifts like white rice when they see them nearby. In Sulawesi, they are known as the moon, and they have a special relationship with their fishermen, notably in this saying “Mbah amit putune ajeng e megawe, njenengan paringi rezeki” meaning dear ancestor can I have your permission to go to work’ this symbiotic relationship with fisherman is reflective of the great respect they have for these creatures, a respect which I share and we should all honour.
As I clamoured out of those shared waters, I noticed a boat was ushered away as it wasn’t regulation and its Keel was one which was potentially harmful to the whale sharks, this struck me deeply as I realised they were threatened and vulnerable these huge creatures can be so easily harmed, killed or damaged, realising how vulnerable they are, I found out they face dangers from every direction; over-fishing, vessel strikes, by catch, fisheries, tourism and climate change. The rising sea temperatures are causing the colder waters to become warmer, meaning they are moving into shipping lanes and are becoming 15000 times more likely to be damaged or killed by a large vessel. This shocking statistic is the reason we need to study and protect these animals, as they are said to protect us.