H aw aiian F i s h e s 15 



among modern day fishes. This fish will reach a lengtli of forty or fifty 

 feet and will weigh many tons. The bodies of these fishes are brownish 

 in color above, white below, and are marked with many thin, white, vertical 

 lines and scattered spots. In addition, the upper part of the body is 

 marked with ridges which run lengthwise of the body. The caudal fin is 

 long, little raised, and contains a keel along its side. The snout is broad, 

 the spiracle small, and the mouth contains a large number of minute 

 teeth. The mouth also contains a large number of curious gill rakers set 

 along its gill arches. These gill rakers are from four to six inches in 

 length and serve much the same function as the whalebone of whales. 



Whale sharks are found throughout the warm tropical waters of the 

 Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. They are most commonly found 

 near Florida, Lower California, and off the east coast of Japan and are 

 probably wanderers into Hawaiian waters. 



Very little is known of the habits of these great fishes. They are 

 reported to live in schools and to feed on the small crustaceans and other 

 plankton which they strain from the sea water with their modified gill 

 rakers. They are sluggish in their habits and are thought to be viviparous. 



Although this fish once supported a small fishing industry off the coast 

 of Massachusetts and in the North Sea, it is of little commercial importance 

 today. This shark contains a gigantic liver and the oil which is extracted 

 from it is of some value to man. There is one report of a liver which 

 yielded 400 gallons of oil. Because of its scarcity this great fish is of little 

 economic importance today. 



