whale shark (Rhincodon typus)
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| foto by Arief Borneo Freediving Comunity |
The whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is the largest fish species. These fish are classified scientifically in the taxonomy as follows:
The whale shark is the single largest fish of the Rhincodon family. It is called the whale shark because of its large body size. On its body, there is a pattern / pattern of white spots so it is also known as a spotted shark. The head of the whale shark is flat with a wide mouth. It is known that the whale shark's mouth can reach 1.4 meters wide. In addition, whale sharks have two dorsal fins, pectoral/pectoral fins, pelvic/abdominal fins, anal fins, and caudal/tail fins.
Whale shark is the largest fish in the ocean that sails the ocean and hides the mystery of its life cycle. If you want to meet whale sharks in nature, you can find them in Berau Waters. Berau waters are known to be one of the areas where whale sharks appear regularly. Berau Regency is one of the regencies in the province of East Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Berau district capital is located in the Tanjung Redeb sub-district. Berau Regency has an area of 34,127.47 km2 consisting of a land area of 21,942.37 km2 and a sea area of 15,020.00 km2, and consists of 52 large and small islands with 13 sub-districts, 10 sub-districts, 100 villages/villages. The coastal area of Berau Regency is located in the sub-districts of Biduk-Biduk, Talisayan, Derawan and Maratua islands which are geographically directly adjacent to the ocean.
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| Berau Sub District Map |
Based on periodic research conducted since 2014 in Berau Waters, as many as 93 individuals of whale sharks were identified and dominated by males (90 individuals). Not only in Berau Waters, as many as more than 10 individual whale sharks from this group were observed to appear in Talisayan Waters and also on Derawan Island.
The total length of the whale sharks found ranged from 3-7 meters so they were still categorized as juveniles. Berau waters provide a comfortable place to live and sufficient food for whale sharks, especially male juvenile individuals. Whale sharks usually appear when the chart is operating in Talisayan, namely during the Southern season (June-October or May-December).
According to the story of the people of Talisayan, whale sharks began to arrive in their waters since the fishermen threw their catches of small fish into the sea. Usually, whale sharks will roam to eat near Bagang House at 05.00 – 08.00 WITA (central Indonesia Standart Time). You also don't need to swim too deep because when fed, the whale shark will be at a depth of only 5 meters before being full and returning to the middle of the sea. Whale sharks only exist after dawn and before the sun rises. Apart from the Sayan Tali, the Whale Shark also often appears around the Derawan Island Bagang Fishermen House.
Interestingly, whale sharks only appear in Derawan during the north wind season. When the south wind season enters, they will move to Talisayan. So if you don't see whale sharks in Talisayan, they could be playing in around Derawan island.
The whale shark is one of three species of shark, which are known to feed by filtering seawater. Their food includes plankton, krill, beach crab larvae, macroalgae, and small nektonic animals such as squid or small vertebrates. Whale sharks are also known to prey on small fish and the scattering of millions of fish eggs and sperm that float in the sea water during the spawning season, as well as prey on jellyfish and snapper larvae.
This giant shark feeds passively by opening its mouth wide while swimming slowly, allowing seawater to enter freely and exit behind the oral cavity through the gill slits, while its food is filtered by filter sheets in its mouth.
Sometimes, whale sharks eat actively by opening and closing their mouths, so that seawater is sucked into the oral cavity and then pushed out through the gill slits. In both ways, the water will pass through the filter sheet which is a modification of the gill filter comb which is located parallel to the sheets. The more concentrated stream of food continues to travel down the fish's esophagus. The rows of tiny teeth in the fish's mouth don't seem to play a role in the feeding process.
Occasionally, whale sharks are seen 'coughing' in the water; this is a mechanism to clean the filter sheet from the dirt that clogs it. These sharks are known to migrate over long distances in search of food, and possibly also for breeding.
Whale shark observation tourist locations in East Kalimantan:
Tali in Berau Regency, East Kalimantan can be accessed by flight to Kalimarau Airport, Berau, then continue the journey to Talisayan for 4 hours by land. Then take a boat from Talisayan Pier to the center, where the charts are located. Watch the timing of your trip carefully, yes, because whale sharks only exist after dawn and before the sun rises.
Derawan Island, Berau Regency, East Kalimantan can be accessed by flying to Kalimarau Airport, Berau, then continuing the journey to Tanjung Batu for approximately 2 hours using a travel bus. after that take a regular speed boat to Derawan Island for about 30 minutes. after arriving at Derawan Island rent a boat to go to Bagang Fishermen House which is visited gradually by the Whale Shark.
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📱0821 5942 7772 (WA) note : (Please Click The Name of Whale Shark Tour Organizer to visit their Instagram account) Whale shark observation tourist locations in Indonesia:
Cenderawasih Bay Nabire National Park, West Papua. can be accessed by flight to Nabire then continue by boat to Kwatisore for 3 hours. it is recommended to come in May and October when the weather is good.
Botubarani beach, Gorontalo. can be accessed from downtown Gorontalo by motor Cycle for approximately 40 minutes to the village of botubarani.
Whale shark observation tourist locations in the World:
The east coast of Africa, Countries off the east coast of Africa such as Kenya, Mozambique, Djibouti and Tanzania are among the best places to see whale sharks. In Mozambique, whale sharks can be seen from November to February. Whale sharks visit the waters of Djibouti to feed on plankton around the Red Sea. In Madagascar, there is a dive center with whale sharks on the island of Nosy Be.
Honduras, can see whale sharks, especially Utila Island. The uniqueness of this island is that whale sharks can be seen all year round. Apart from Utila, whale sharks are frequently seen off the coast of Roatan Island in the Caribbean.
Australia's Ningaloo Reef is the best place to dive to swim with whales. Whale sharks can also be seen around Australian waters every March to July.
Holbox Island and Pulau Mujeres (Mexico) are among the best whale shark spots in the world. The best time to see whale sharks in Mexico is from June to September.
Cebu Island, Oslob, Southern Philippines, there is a tourist spot for feeding whale sharks but it has drawn protests and strong criticism for changing the natural behavior of whale sharks, which are reluctant to migrate because of their dependence on tourist attraction feeding.
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