The largest fish of the ocean only visit Mexico during some months of the year, from early June to mid-September. During this season the pristine water of The Caribbean Sea will be their home. So, as visitors, we should know a little bit about our host. Shouldn’t we?
The first thing you should know is that when you are swimming with whale sharks in Mexico you will be together with the biggest shark in the world. No, they are not whales. Despite this fact, they have a lot of things in common with whales.
Probably, the most obvious similarity between whale sharks and whales is their size. Both are massive animals. Our protagonists can reach lengths of 40 feet / 12 meters, as long as a school bus! Moreover, according to National Geographic, they weigh as much 50,000 pounds (25 tons). In addition, whale sharks feed in similar fashion to whales, rather than like sharks. In fact, their food is based on the smallest animals of the sea: plankton and krill.
As a curious fact, we mention that these amazing animals are filter feeders. Although whale sharks have about 3,000 tiny teeth, they don’t use those teeth to eat. On the contrary, whale sharks swim close to water’s surface with their colossal mouths open (5 feet/15 meters wide). In this way, they collect tiny plants and small fishes from the water. After that, they filter out the food and let any waste go back into the ocean. As you can see, this docile fish allow humans to swim along their side.