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Whale Shark

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The White Shark

Appearance:

Heavy spindle-shaped body, with a moderately long and pointed snout. Large gill slits. Origin of first dorsal fin over the free ends of the pectoral fins. Minute second dorsal fin. Very large pectorals. Crescentic caudal fin, strong keels on peduncle.

Teeth and Jaw:

Besides it's extensibility and its Herculean strength, the jaw of the shark possesses a third formidable feature : a set of teeth whose anatomy and manner of replacement are also unique in the animal kingdom. The sharks teeth can be renewed indefinitely as fast as they are lost either at the time of an attack or when they fall out spontaneously. Several sets of reserve teeth exist behind the set that is functional at the time, i.e. the one that sits on the ridge of the jawbone (middle left). There are thus 5 sets, covered to varying degrees with buccal mucous membrane depending on whether they are number five, four, three or two in line. If one or more teeth in the functional row are exposed at the root, broken or torn out, the corresponding tooth or teeth of the next row will move up and become functional. Furthermore, the teeth are held fast on a very strong fibrous tissue, allowing them to be erected when the mouth is opened. The opening movement makes them turn forwards and outwards, enabling the shark to bite firmly and to hold on to what it bites. Taking into account the fact that each one of these teeth itself bears smaller teeth, making it a veritable saw (left), and that it's concavity at the rear gives it the qualities of a hook, one can understand why the wounds left by such a formidable jaw are always dramatic if not fatal.

Coloration:

Blue-grey to grey-brown coloration on back, with white ventral surface. Black blotches around the free rear ends of the pectoral fins. Undersides of the pectoral fin tips are black.

Size:

Maximum size at least 640cm but most certainly larger (due to jaw imprints on dead whales). Average size between 400cm and 500cm. Weight can vary strongly do to an unproportional increase of girth with size. Animals between 580cm and 640cm weigh more than 2000kg.