August 30th is International Whale Shark Day (Día del Tiburon Ballena), so declared in 2008 during the International Whale Shark Conference that took place on Isla Holbox, where representatives from over 40 countries met to share their research about this huge fish, and agreed that this day should be dedicated to celebrating whale sharks, promoting their conservation, and educating the public about them.
The whale shark is the world's largest fish, and can reach up to 60 feet (18 m) in length. Its back is gray or dark blue, with light colored markings, and its belly is white. It has a wide, flat head with small eyes on the sides, and a big mouth that extends the entire width of its body, as you can see in this photo. The whale shark moves slowly along the water's surface, filtering large amounts of water and consuming plancton, crustaceans and small fish. Whale sharks migrate to the Caribbean off the northeast coast of the Yucatan Peninsula every year between May and September.
Several Yucatan Peninsula tour companies offer whale shark tours that allow tourists to swim with these giants of the sea. Our contributing writer Emma Sloley had the opportunity to participate in one of these tours recently. Read about her experience here: Swimming with Whale Sharks.
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