Embryos of the Whale Shark, Rhincodon typus: Early Growth and Size Distribution

Abstract

1828, when a 13.7-m immature male was harpooned by fishermen off Table Bay, South Africa. Andrew Smith described the species as Rhincodon typus (Steel, 1985). However, small whale sharks were unknown until 1953, when a 355-mm embryo was taken in the Gulf of Mexico (Baughman, 1955; Reid 1957; Garrick, 1964). Fewer than 250 whale shark sightings have been recorded in the scientific literature, despite its becoming increasingly popular with the recreational diving community in areas where it commonly occurs. Of the 250 records, 122 provide an estimate of specimen length (i.e., 4-24 m), whereas 44 give actual measurments (Wolfson and Notarbartolo di Sciara, 1981). Before 1953, the smallest whale shark on record was 1.83 m (Howell-Rivero, 1936), based on an unseen description of a mounted skin. A 1.83-m specimen (presumably the same one) was cited by Bigelow and Schroeder (1948). If this questionable account is discounted, the smallest recorded size for a whale shark is 3.96