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At Thailand's Richelieu Rock, a whale shark makes a rare appearance.
This is no whale but rather the world's largest fish.
Whale sharks can grow up to 12 meters long,
although unconfirmed reports circulate of giants up to 18 meters long.
This female is about the average size of 8 meters.
There is little to match the awe inspired by an encounter with a whale shark,
and for many divers this is the pinnacle of their underwater experience.
Their 3000 tiny teeth are rarely used.
When feeding they hold their mouths open
and feed on plankton, fish eggs and small marine creatures.
Ridges down the whale shark's back are reminiscent of those on zebra sharks' backs
and like the zebra shark, the whale shark poses little danger to humans.
She has lost the top part of her tail,
perhaps due to an attack by a predatory shark when she was a youngster,
or possibly a collision with a boat's propeller.
The shark's fins act like rudders, helping steer it gracefully through the water.
For a long time whale sharks were thought to be oviparous,
in other words hatching from eggs laid by the mother.
However since 1995, females have been discovered containing hundreds of hatched pups,
proving that the young complete their development inside the mother's body before birth.
As is typical of large pelagic fishes, the back is darker than the belly.
This countershading helps it blend in with its environment,
and the abstract pattern of spots and stripes on the back enhances the camouflage from above.
Some whale sharks attract shoals of fish around the head, such as these juvenile scad,
protecting themselves from predators which may be intimidated by the shark.
The shark itself does not prey on them,
and they are careful enough to cruise in front of its cavernous mouth, without getting sucked in.
This much younger whale shark approached boats near Western Rocky Island
and stayed around for a long time.
Although it might be tempting to touch or even hitch a ride on a whale shark,
this practise is highly discouraged.
It may modify the shark's natural behavior, or even cause infection.
It can also be dangerous for the diver or snorkeler.
Despite their usual graceful and stately motion,
whale sharks can draw on great strength if they become agitated,
and should be respected like any wild animal.
Shark fin soup is seen as a delicacy and status symbol in many Asian markets.
A single whale shark fin can fetch tens of thousands of dollars in some Chinese restaurants,
and often a whale shark fin is not eaten
but just used to advertise the availability of shark fin or shark fin soup.
Whale sharks do not reach *** maturity until they are 25 years old,
and pregnancies are few and far between,
so their survival is particularly at risk.
Unless this culture changes,
or legislation is introduced and enforced,
whale sharks, like many other sharks, may soon disappear forever.
From the shadows, and shoals of cardinalfish at Burma's Shark Cave,
a grey reef shark emerges...