Thursday, July 28, 2011

Whale sharks

This is the second set in a series of shark and ray images by Brian Skerry, National Geographic photographer and the Aquarium's Explorer in Residence. This post features the whale shark (Rhincodon typus).

Swimming with a whale shark is like being in the presence of a dinosaur. They are massive yet gentle, and mysterious. Their migrations and behaviors are not well understood; they move to ancient rhythms that we are not able to hear.

 A whale shark, approximately 20 feet long (Rhincodon typus) (Photo: Brian Skerry)


Whale sharks are filter feeders. (Rhincodon typus) (Photo: Brian Skerry)


Whale shark off the coast of Australia (Rhincodon typus) (Photo: Brian Skerry)

1 comment:

  1. great photos! I just had an amazing whale shark experience - my first time snorkeling with them. I posted a few photos from the day here:

    http://Visit50.com/2011/12/whale-shark-snorkeling/

    They're a little grainy but I was really close as it swam right underneath me!

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