(PH) Tiny Whale Shark Rescued In the Philippines

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> Shibani Chaudhury <shibani

> 2009/3/13

> Fwd: Tiny Whale Shark Rescued In The Philippines - Science -

 

> Tiny Whale Shark Rescued In The Philippines

>

> Posted on: Wednesday, 11 March 2009, 08:55 CDT

>

> According to the Associated Press, a group of activists in the Philippines

> have rescued a whale shark the size of a forearm, believed to be the

> smallest offspring of the world’s largest fish.

>

> The 15-inch-long whale shark was found with its tail tied to a small rope

on

> a beach last week in Pilar town in the eastern Philippines.Â

>

> According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the fish was " arguably the

> smallest living whale shark in recorded history. "

>

> The shark was loosed from the rope and released into deep waters by

> activists and maritime officials.

>

> WWF believes the find is the first indication that the coastline may be a

> birthing ground for the whale shark.Â

>

> The group has found very few baby sharks and has not found any living

whale

> sharks that compare in size to the tiny discovery.Â

>

> According to Elson Aca, project manager for the WWF whale shark tracking

> project, the only whale sharks that compare in size are embryos discovered

> in a dead female in 1996.

>

> Whale sharks can grow to be the size of a bus, and attract thousands of

> tourists to the Philippines’ eastern shores from December to May.

>

> Little is known about where the giant sharks breed during their lifetimes.

>

> *Image Courtesy WWF-Philippines, Elson Aca*

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> Shibani Chaudhury

> Head Communications & Campaigns

> Wildlife Trust of India

>

> B-13, 2nd Floor, Sector 6, Noida

> UP 201301, India

> Tel: 0120 4143900 / 0120 4143912

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