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Blog about diving in Burma and Thailand

Where about are baby Whale Sharks ?

23/6/2021

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The mystery behind whale shark reproduction

Where about are baby Whale sharks?

Whale sharks life cycle is still an enigma, here is what marine biologists know so far about baby whale sharks

Whale sharks are the biggest fish in the oceans, their size implies slow growth rates and great longevity. Male Whale sharks reach sexual maturity in around 30 years (their adult size is rarely bigger than 8 meters). Females get much bigger but it takes them 50 years to be ready to conceive. 

While they could live up to 100 or 150 years old and mother a few hundreds pups, this late development implies slower potential population renewal as most whale sharks will not live long enough to have a descendant. 
​

They have to steer clear of a lot of threats such as fishing nets...before they get a chance to breed.
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What do you know about their reproduction ?

The answer to this question: not much …. even by whale sharks specialists.
There are three different modes of reproduction among sharks and rays (oviparity, ovoviparity and viviparity) and 1 variant (asexual reproduction)...

​
Oviparous species, like many other fish (as well as birds and reptiles), lay eggs. â€‹
Viviparous species give birth to live young, just like mammals: a placental links the developing embryo and its mother and feeds it in utero until its birth. 

Ovoviviparous species also give birth to live young but do not have a placenta linking mum and baby. The embryo first develops within an egg, gaining nutrients from the yolk, it then emerges from the egg whilst still inside the mother who gives birth

Asexual: leopard sharks held in an aquarium have given birth after years of captivity!!!

Ways sharks reproduce
Ways sharks reproduce ociparus viviparous ovoviviparus
Whale sharks are ovoviviparous and this is known thanks to a single pregnant female caught in nets in 1995 (nicknamed "big Mamma" ) containing 300 embryos in her utero at various stages of development. Some were still in their eggs, others already hatched, the biggest was 64 cm long.
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So when Baby whale sharks are born, where do they go?

Where whale sharks go to give birth is still a mystery, it is believed that whale sharks are born between 40 – 70cm but surprisingly no diver has ever seen a whale shark under 2m longs and it is still unknown where they spend their time before reaching this size. 

​
As it is one of the few places they can still hide in… it is believed that baby whale sharks are born in very deep water and spend the first years of their lives at depth.

Baby whale shark sightings are very very rare but they have been seen !

Only 21 baby whale sharks smaller than 1.5 m long have ever been sighted globally till this day, most were neonate captured as bycatch in fishing nets. 

The latest Whale shark baby was found on the 15th of March 2020 and was 60cm long. This is smaller than the largest embryo found inside "big Mamma" in 1995, meaning this pup is either a small newborn or even neonate. 
released neonatal Whale Sharks
Taiwan 2013
largest baby whale shark recorded
80cm - Pakistan 2017
Given their size and swimming ability it is likely that the Philippine, Peru, India, Australia, Pakistan and Taiwan, where they were found, may be close to whale sharks nurseries !
baby whale shark in a bucket
60cm - Phillipines - march 2020
baby whale shark swimming
50cm- India 2017
Whale shark pup Rescue
38 cm- Philipines- March 2009
Watch a baby whale shark swimming off in this video:
If you liked this article, share it!
learn about adult whale sharks in this bespoke article:
​All about whale sharks
​And if you have something to add, feel free to leave us a comment below! 


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Camille Fogarolo 

Camille has been traveling the world since her mid twenties and dived many seas before finally settling down in Thailand in 2012. With her husband Franck, they opened The Smiling Seahorse liveaboard to offer cruises in the most unexplored area of South East Asia and became quite the experts when it comes to diving in Myanmar! Proud mother of two she still travels as much as she can and usually joins a dive trip to Mergui Archipelago every month.

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  • When & Where
    • Schedule and Prices
    • Destinations >
      • North Andaman Thailand >
        • Similan Islands
        • Surin Islands >
          • Richelieu Rock
        • The essential Underwater photo Guide to diving Thailand
      • South Andaman Thailand >
        • Phuket & Koh Phi Phi National Parks
        • Koh Lanta National Park
        • Koh Lipe and Tarutao National Park
      • Mergui Archipelago >
        • Liveaboard diving holiday in Myanmar
        • Burma's best dive sites
        • The Ultimate Underwater photo Guide to diving Burma
  • ABOUT
    • Our Boat >
      • DELICIOUS FOOD
    • Diving in Thailand in 2024-2025
    • Diving in Myanmar/Burma in 2024-2025
    • Blackwater diving in Thailand and Myannmar
    • Marine life in Thailand's Andaman Sea
    • Marine life in Mergui Archipelago
    • Dive Courses >
      • Learn to Dive
      • Continue diving education
      • Rescue diver
      • Professional Dive Courses
      • Hone your dive skills with a specialty course
      • Photo coaching in Thailand on the Smiling Seahorse
    • Guest Book
    • FAQ
  • Plan your trip
    • Our hotels recommendations
    • Khao Sok National Park
    • Taxi services >
      • Taxi services to and from Ranong
      • Taxi services to and from Phuket
      • Taxi services to Tap Lamu and Khao Lak
    • 10 things to do around Ranong
  • PROMO
    • HOT DEALS
    • Special Expeditions >
      • 8D Special Marine Bio with Gavin Miller - 10 Nov 2025
      • 8D Whale shark expedition - 20 March 2026 - North and South
  • gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • CONTACT
  • BLOG
    • Most popular posts