Rare whale shark spotted by pilot off Southern California
A Southern California fish spotter on Sunday captured aerial footage showing a 20-foot whale shark swimming lazily on the surface southeast of Santa Catalina Island.
“Notice the remoras fall off and swim back to it,” Carl Sbarounis observed via Instagram. “Plus there’s fish swimming in front of its mouth. Has its own ecosystem.”
The footage, posted below, is extremely rare because whale sharks – the largest shark and fish species on the planet – inhabit tropical waters and do not typically range so far north.
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Only a handful of sightings have been documented in recent decades and Sbarounis’ sighting was his second since Sept. 1, he said, perhaps involving the same whale shark.
Whale shark sightings also were logged last week by whale-watching companies off San Diego.
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Dorado, or mahi-mahi, and yellowfin tuna are other exotic visitors to have followed unusually warm sea-surface temperatures into Southern California waters in recent weeks.
Whale sharks, which can measure 40 feet and weigh 20,000 pounds, are found in tropical waters around the world. They’re most commonly observed in regions such as Mexico, Belize, Western Australia, and Thailand.
The filter feeders are commonly referred to as gentle giants because they’re so docile as they swim in pursuit of plankton, krill, and small fishes. Remoras and pilot fish sometimes accompany whale sharks, feeding on parasites and bacteria that form on their massive bodies.
Sbarounis is a fish spotter for the commercial fishing industry.
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