Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world, but much remains to be seen. Like many other sharks, they are born alive young, but no one has watched a baby whale shark be born! In addition, captured pregnant whale sharks contain over 300 embryos, more than any recorded shark. Let’s dive into whale shark cubs to discover 5 incredible facts as scientists continue to explore the mysteries.
1. Whale sharks have the largest eggs of any animal on Earth.
Whale shark eggs are about twice the size of ostrich eggs. V Guinness Book of Records classifies them as the largest eggs on Earth; past specimens reached 12 inches and contained whale shark embryos that grew even longer. However, as you will learn from the fourth fact about whale shark cubs, you should not expect to find these eggs hidden at the bottom of the ocean.
2. The whale shark is called a “puppy” and may be the largest litter of any shark!
A female whale shark was caught off the coast of Taiwan in July 1996 and had a stunning surprise inside. The whale shark was pregnant with over 300 embryos! This means that whale sharks can produce the largest droppings of any shark. Most other shark species give birth to several sharks at once.
Another possibility is that whale sharks mate once and are capable of storing male sperm for fertilization for extended periods of time. Scientists still know very little about whale shark reproduction.
Baby whale sharks are called “puppies”. Other marine animals with cubs, known as puppies, include seals. Of course, on land, baby dogs are called “puppies.”
3. A baby whale shark takes a long time to grow up and can live for over 100 years!
Compared to most species, whale shark cubs are already quite large (see Fact # 5 on whale shark cubs), but long time to grow up! The overall growth rate of whale sharks is poorly understood, but males grow faster. By the time a male whale shark is 35 years old, it is growing at a rate of about one foot per year. Female whale sharks grow more slowly, about 8 inches per year.
Sure, growing from 8 inches to a foot per year really add upand the longest whale shark ever recorded was 62 feet long, while they usually peak around 40 feet. Due to their slow growth rates compared to body size, whale sharks reach sexual maturity at a very late age. It is estimated that male whale sharks turn 25 years old before they can mate. Because of this slow growth, whale sharks also live very a lot of time. Their life expectancy is estimated to be between 80 and 130 years!
4. No one has seen a whale shark give birth.
This is one of the greatest mysteries of the ocean! No one has ever seen a whale shark give birth. Very little is known about the development process as a whole.
Now, you may notice that the first fact in this article was that whale sharks have the largest eggs. So how can they give birth? Well, the eggs remain in the body of the whale shark and they give birth to live cubs. The name for this adaptation of both oviposition and viviparity is called “ovarian inconsistency.” It is common among many shark species.
5. The whale shark can be up to 2 feet long at birth!
The approximate size of a whale shark at birth is 16 to 24 inches. Of course, live births have never been observed! Therefore, this estimate is based on discovered embryos and newly born small whale sharks. While whale sharks will become very large over time (with a lot of time), they are very susceptible to predators at birth and will remain so for the first decade of their life.