Say hello to the largest fish in the world, the whale shark. On August 30, we celebrate International Whale Shark Day to honor these magnificent marine creatures. These gentle giants are not related to whales, despite their impressive size—they can reach up to 40 feet in length. Whale sharks are calm creatures which are usually safe for divers to swim alongside. These sharks are filter feeders and consume plankton and small fish by sieving them through their gill plates. There has been a significant decline in their populations, with an estimated 63% decrease in their numbers in the last 75 years. Threats include being hit by boats or tangled in fishing gear and their habitats are being damaged by pollution, coastal development and over-fishing. Advocates work through education and community engagement to help safeguard whale sharks and preserve our oceans.
International Whale Shark Day
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Everglades National Park marks 90 years
-
Keep calm and drive on (slowly)
-
Giant kelp in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
-
Milford Sound/Piopiotahi rainforest in New Zealand
-
Square Tower House in Mesa Verde National Park
-
The crossroads of empires
-
All hail the king of shrubs
-
Sibiu Christmas market, Romania
-
These laurels are hardy
-
Cheers! It’s National Wine Day
-
Up in the Highlands
-
Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting
-
Bournemouth beach huts
-
In Sicily, history is everywhere
-
Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy
-
Welcome to the Year of the Pig
-
International Museum Day
-
A crested partridge
-
International Day of Peace
-
River Quoich in Aberdeenshire, Scotland
-
A viewer with a view
-
Inhale and exhale, it’s Yoga Day
-
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
-
Ocean City, Maryland, at sunrise
-
Sequoia National Parks 134th anniversary
-
Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles, Bavaria, Germany
-
Paro Tsechu Festival in Bhutan
-
American Wetlands Month
-
World Bee Day
-
Where fire meets water