Tiny Whale Shark Found in Philippines
March 10, 2009 10:10 am Life in the Ocean
Thanks to my friends over at Neutral Dive Gear, I was alerted to a story breaking in numerous online publications today. It appears that wildlife activists in Pilar, a small town on the eastern side of the Philippines, have found what is believed to be the smallest whale shark ever found in Philippines waters. At just over 15 inches in length, representatives of the World Wide Fund for Nature say that the tiny whale shark is the smallest living specimen they have ever encountered. It was found in shallow water and was tied by the tail to a small rope on the beach. Officials quickly removed the tiny whale shark from the shallow water and released it in deeper seas.
The Philippines has long been recognized as a transit point for migrating whale sharks. The presence of this extremely small juvenile shark may be the first indication that the waters around the Philippines are actually a “birthing” ground for the gigantic animals. Very few juvenile whale sharks have been spotted near the Philippines, making it difficult to confirm the area as an important link in the reproductive habits 0f the whale shark.
We will keep a keen watch for additional information on whale sharks in the Philippines waters and will update this post as required.
Phil Ellis




March 10th, 2009 at 4:01 PM
Nice post about the Philippine connection for whale sharks! I just got back from a 3-week vacation in the Philippines, which included some days in Boracay Island. Didn’t see any sharks while there, but enjoyed the stay there immensely! I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to link to you from my website on Sharks–it’s frequented by school kids wanting to learn more about sharks. Happy Diving!
March 11th, 2009 at 9:29 AM
Hi Dave. Thanks for the comments. I hope you are a frequent visitor and I would love it if you subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy reading my blog.
Phil Ellis
http://www.divesports.com
October 31st, 2009 at 12:58 AM
It feels realy good to hear that now the Whale Sharks are found in Philippines water. we will wait for your new post with updated details.