SHARKS 31 



a high speed, dragging the boat behind it. Its staying powers 

 are remarkable, and several hours may elapse before it finally 

 succumbs. On more than one occasion a Whale Shark basking 

 at the surface has been rammed and nearly cut in two by a 

 large vessel. It is believed that when once lanced or harpooned 

 the Shark will in some way contract the muscles of the back, 

 and in this manner try to prevent the entrance of another 

 weapon. 



In many respects the Whale Shark recalls the Basking Shark 

 of our own seas, dealt with in the previous chapter. There is 

 the same bulk, tiny teeth set in a huge mouth, long, close-set 

 gill-rakers, wide external gill-clefts, and keeled tail with 

 apparently symmetrical fin. Indeed, some authorities are 

 inclined to place the two forms close together, but others are 

 of the opinion that these resemblances have been brought 

 about by the adoption of similar modes of life, and particularly 

 of similar methods of feeding, and do not indicate actual 

 relationship. Our knowledge of the anatomy of the Whale 

 Shark is not yet complete, but it would seem to be more 

 closely allied to the Orectolobid Sharks. It is of some interest 

 to note that the curious ridge-like keels along the body also 

 occur in the Zebra Shark and in other members of this family, 

 but not in any other Sharks. 



Like the Basking Shark the Whale Shark feeds on small 

 crustaceans and other planktonic creatures, which it strains 

 from the water by means of the sieve-like gill-rakers. So huge 

 is its mouth, however, that other objects may enter on occasion, 

 and it is recorded that an individual caught in the Philippine 

 Islands had swallowed a number of shoes, leggings, leather 

 belts, etc., and another from Japan had a fragment of an oak 

 pole, about a foot long, in its stomach ! 



Nothing at all is known of its breeding habits, but it is 

 almost certainly viviparous. It appears to have no economic 

 value, although the liver might be expected to yield an oil of 

 commercial importance. 



The Whale Shark is known by a variety of names in different 

 parts of the world, of which " Chagrin " (Seychelles), " Tiburon 

 ballenas " (California), " Tintoreva " (Gulf of Panama), 

 "Chacon" (Philippines), and " Mhor " (Karachi) may be 

 mentioned. The name Whale Shark may refer to its size, 



