Do whale sharks have skin or scales?
Prior research had shown that whale sharks have dermal denticles on other parts of their body—in fact, on most of their body. The sharks have placoid scales, which are made of hard enamel and resemble teeth, unlike the scales of other animals. Also, the scales are arranged in a way that helps the shark swim faster.
How thick is whale shark skin?
4 inches
The skin of an adult whale shark can be as thick as 4 inches (10 cm) and has the consistency of strong rubber, which limits possible predators to killer whales, great white sharks, tiger sharks and humans.
Is whale shark skin smooth?
Shark skin feels exactly like sandpaper. It is made up of tiny teeth-like structures called placoid scales, also known as dermal denticles. Because of this, if someone rubbed the skin from the head towards the tail, it would feel very smooth. In the opposite direction it feels very rough like sandpaper.
What is the texture of a whale shark?
Whale sharks are grayish, bluish or brownish above, with an upper surface pattern of creamy white spots between pale, vertical and horizontal stripes (Compagno, 2005).
What kind of shark has 3000 teeth?
whale shark
Most sharks have between 5-15 rows, and the whale shark has a whopping 3,000 teeth in its mouth! But because those teeth aren’t attached to their gums on a root like ours, they lose around a tooth every week.
What kind of skin does a whale shark have?
Like many pelagic sharks, it has one pair of dorsal fins (one larger than the other) and one pair of pectoral fins as well as a caudal fin. The skin of the whale shark has a blue-gray coloration on the back and white in the belly. The upper area has light spots that form unique patterns in each shark.
What do the spots on a whale shark mean?
The information is used to create further protections for whale sharks. Every whale shark has a unique pattern of spots and stripes on their skin, and WWF uses them to identify individual sharks. Divers photograph the animal right above their pectoral fins and behind their gill slits.
What kind of stripes does a whale shark have?
Each whale shark’s pale spots and stripes are unique, kind of like a fingerprint—the World Wildlife Fund and other researchers use photo databases to identify and count the animals. The checkerboard pattern is on their gray and brown backs, while their bellies are white.
What kind of shark is bigger than a whale?
They are not whales; they are sharks. They have a lot in common with whales, though. For example, they are massive like whales and they feed more like whales than a typical shark.
The skin of an adult whale shark can be as thick as 4 inches (10 cm) and has the consistency of strong rubber, which limits possible predators to killer whales, great white sharks, tiger sharks and humans. Whale shark has a two-toned pattern of light spots on its dark gray back with a white underside.
What kind of shark has white spots on its back?
Whale shark has a two-toned pattern of light spots on its dark gray back with a white underside. Each whale shark has its own individual spot pattern; like human fingerprints, no two are exactly alike.
How are whale sharks different from other sharks?
They are relatively unique among sharks in their feeding behavior and adaptations. Why “Whale” Shark? – Contrary to what their name may suggest, whale sharks are not closely related to whales in any way. Whale sharks get their name from their immense size, which is reminiscent of large whale species.
How big are the pups of a whale shark?
The female whale shark gives birth to an average litter of 12 whale shark pups that are around 60 cm long. Whale sharks grow quickly during their first few years and soon the whale shark pups are extremely big and therefore less likely to be hunted by marine predators such as other shark species and killer whales.
