Description
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Context: Rare rescue mission led by the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department is an exemplary success story of active involvement of the local community in species conservation.
Facts about whale shark:
- Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are the world’s largest fish.
- They feed on plankton and travel massive distances to find food to sustain their huge size, and for reproduction.
- Habitat: Found in all the tropical oceans of the world, whale sharks have white spotted colouration which make these gentle giants easy to distinguish.
- They are popular with snorkelers and divers at sites where they aggregate off the coast.
- Importance: The presence of whale sharks indicates the availability of plankton and the overall health of the oceans.
- Size: While not exactly known, the maximum size of a whale shark could be as large as 20 metres.
- Density: Gujarat has the maximum density of whale shark population in the Indo-pacific region.
- Threats: Oil & gas drilling, shipping lanes etc.
- Protection Status:
- IUCN Red List: Endangered
- CITES: Appendix II
- Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/meet-the-team-of-fishermen-in-visakhapatnam-who-saved-the-endangered-whale-shark/article38080827.ece
