316 



Shark and Co?npany 



On February 11, 1905, the Illustrated London News published this drawing, based on 

 a sketch of Captain J. C. Robinson of the Armadale Castle. It clearly shows a Whale 

 shark impaled on the ship's bow, but the headline called it a "Sea Serpent." The story 

 said : "During a recent voyage of the Armadale Castle, when the vessel was in latitude 

 3 deg. south, the stem's perpendicular struck a large fish close to the head, and held it 

 prisoner for about 15 minutes. The monster was not less than 57 feet in length, and 

 must have been 8 feet in diameter. It was beautifully marked and Captain Robinson 

 was sorry he could not lasso and preserve it. There was keen controversy among the 

 passengers as to its species, some arguing for a whale, some for a shark. As Mr. 

 Rudyard Kipling was on board and saw the sight, it has been suggested that the 

 creature should be called Piscis Rudyardensis." 



Courtesy, American Museum of Natural History 



mouth," he reported. "It showed no signs of concern except when we 

 bothered its face. Then it slowly dived out of sight. But it would return 

 to the surface, and we would cUmb aboard again." 



Stories of the Whale shark's indolence are many. Yet a fish of such 

 gigantic size can be dangerous because of its very immensity. A 31 -foot 

 Whale shark that blundered into a pound net off Fire Island, New York, 

 in 1935 struggled with its captors for 3 hours before it was subdued. 

 When thrashing to free itself, a Whale shark could easily kill a man or 

 two with a flip of its mighty tail. However, no such incidents are on 

 record. 



The Whale shark usually feeds on Crustacea and tiny fishes that are 

 drawn into its enormous mouth, a cavern big enough for a man to 

 crouch in. Its tiny teeth are many— 15,000 in one whose minute molars 

 were laboriously counted. The teeth are packed into a band that runs 

 along the inner surface of each jaw just inside the lips. These teeth are 

 not used for biting or crushing food, but merely for holding whatever 

 happens to be scooped into the mouth. 



