Pullman Maldives Maamutaa

Whale shark day
Marine biologist, 30 August 2020

Hi all,

Did you know that today is a very special day? Today is Global Whale Shark Day, such a great opportunity for me to tease you with some info about the biggest shark of them all!!!

But that’s not all… you can spot them in south Maldives that includes waters around Maamutaa Island.

Fun things we know about whale sharks:

1.They are the largest “fish” in the sea. With a size up to 18m ! Like a bus

2. Whale sharks have a huge mouth! Raaaaaaght ! Just kidding : they eat tiny things by filtration and gasping : plankton is their fav food!

3. They can cough ! It is believed it is To clear their gills!

4. They are originals : Every whale shark has a unique spot patterns. A bit like our fingerprints it is also a good way to identify them.

5. Whale sharks Live long : 70-100 y… and mature late… imagine being teenager for 25 years…. Oh my…. no thanks!

Fun things we don’t know about whale sharks :

1.Where they do their funky business : we don’t know for sure where they reproduce and where they give birth.

2. What are they social habits?! We are not sure. They are mostly solitary but they group on feeding grounds and they have their secret meeting for reproduction… so we are in the dark.

3. We also don’t know how many whale-sharks are out there!

And that we don’t know list is long. Even if it is the biggest fish in the sea they are not so easy to find and study!

But I hope you learned something new and are inspired to get to know them and maybe even meeting them!

At Pullman Maldives Maamutaa we decided to celebrate whale shark day by adopting a whale shark! This symbolic adoption (we don’t own an animal) will contribute to WWF for study them and helps the conservation of this specie and its habitat.

Nevertheless we framed that adoption certificate and named that whale shark Suvadiva! So when you come and visit us at dive center come and check out the latest addition to the family!