Whale Shark

Rhincodon typus Smith 1828

Brian Gratwicke cc-by

Rhincodon typus (Whale Shark) is a species of modern sharks in the family whale sharks. They are listed as endangered by IUCN and in cites appendix ii. They are native to Asia, Pacific Ocean, Oceania continent (Australia, NZ and islands), Atlantic Ocean, Ethiopia, and Indian Ocean. They are solitary, diurnal carnivores. Individuals can grow to 2000 cm. They have parental care (female provides care). They rely on swimming to move around.

URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/endangered
Definition: A taxon is Endangered when the best available evidence indicates that it meets any of the \r\ncriteria A to E for Endangered, and it is therefore considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
Source: http://apiv3.iucnredlist.org/api/v3/taxonredirect/19488

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URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/CITES_II
Definition: Appendix II lists species that are not necessarily now threatened with extinction but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled. It also includes so-called "look-alike species", i.e. species whose specimens in trade look like those of species listed for conservation reasons. International trade in specimens of Appendix-II species may be authorized by the granting of an export permit or re-export certificate. No import permit is necessary for these species under CITES (although a permit is needed in some countries that have taken stricter measures than CITES requires). Permits or certificates should only be granted if the relevant authorities are satisfied that certain conditions are met, above all that trade will not be detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild. (See Article IV of the Convention)
Source: https://www.speciesplus.net/#/taxon_concepts/6257/legal

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URI: http://www.geonames.org/6255147

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URI: http://www.marineregions.org/mrgid/1903

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URI: http://www.geonames.org/6255151

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URI: http://www.marineregions.org/mrgid/1902

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URI: http://www.geonames.org/337996

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URI: http://www.marineregions.org/mrgid/1904

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URI: https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q81875
Definition: organism that eats mostly or exclusively animal tissue
Attribution: Crustacean body sizes

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URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/solitary
Definition: Solitary animals are those that spend a majority of their lives without others of their species, with possible exceptions for mating and raising their young. Antonyms for a solitary animal include a social animal or a colonial animal.
Attribution: https://www.definitions.net/definition/solitary+animal

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URI: http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q906470
Definition: animal behavior characterized by activity during the day, with a period of inactivity at night.

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URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/parentalCareFemale
Definition: the female feeds and nurtures offspring
Attribution: Richard M. Sibly, Christopher C. Witt, Natalie A. Wright, Chris Venditti, Walter Jetz, and James H. Brown. 2012. Energetics, lifestyle, and reproduction in birds. PNAS 109(27):10937-10941, doi:10.1073/pnas.1206512109

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URI: http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GO_0036268
Definition: Self-propelled movement of an organism from one location to another through water, often by means of active fin movement.

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EOL has data for 51 attributes, including:

Body symmetry
- URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/body_symmetry
- Definition: overall repetitive or reflective pattern in the body of one individual of this taxon. eg: bilateral symmetry, rotational symmetry, radial symmetry
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bilaterally symmetric
- URI: http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/PATO_0001324
- Definition: being symmetric about a plane running from frontal end to caudal end (head to tail), and having nearly identical right and left halves
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body shape
- URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/BodyShape
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bilaterally symmetric
- URI: http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/PATO_0001324
- Definition: being symmetric about a plane running from frontal end to caudal end (head to tail), and having nearly identical right and left halves
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diet includes
- URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/Diet
- Definition: Information about the items eaten by this organism.
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mollusks
- URI: https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25326
- Definition: phylum of invertebrate animals
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ecomorphological guild
- URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/EcomorphologicalGuild
- Definition: organisms that share certain morphological traits due to adaptation to similar environments and ecological roles
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nectonic
- URI: http://www.marinespecies.org/traits/Nekton
- Definition: Active swimming organisms that live in the water column and are able to move independently of the water mass (adapted from Lincoln et al., 1998).
- Attribution: http://www.marinespecies.org/traits/wiki/Traits:Nekton
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first appearance
- URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/FossilFirst
- Definition: The first appearance of this taxon in the fossil record.
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28.1 million years ago
geographic distribution includes
- URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/Present
- Definition: This organism is known to be present in this location or region. Not exclusive; other regions may also be reported.
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cosmopolitan
- URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/Cosmopolitan
- Attribution: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmopolitan_distribution
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inter-birth interval
- URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/InterBirthInterval
- Definition: The length of time between successive births of a female.
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730 days
mating system
- URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/MatingSystem
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promiscuous
- URI: http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/ECOCORE_00000067
- Definition: A member of one sex mates with any member of the opposite sex
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native range includes
- URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/NativeRange
- Definition: Lists jurisdictions in which a given organism is a member of the undisturbed fauna or flora.
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Oceania continent (Australia, NZ and islands)
- URI: http://www.geonames.org/6255151
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social system
- URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/SocialSystem
- Definition: Description of the relationships among individuals within a population of organisms, including reproductive relationships (mating system), relationships within each sex, adult – young interactions, helpers and cooperation (group living).
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solitary
- URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/solitary
- Definition: Solitary animals are those that spend a majority of their lives without others of their species, with possible exceptions for mating and raising their young. Antonyms for a solitary animal include a social animal or a colonial animal.
- Attribution: https://www.definitions.net/definition/solitary+animal
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trophic guild
- URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/TrophicGuild
- Definition: A group of species that exploit the same food resources, and/or use the same feeding or foraging methods. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guild_(ecology)
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piscivore
- URI: http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1420208
- Definition: carnivorous animal which eats primarily fish.
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type specimen repository
- URI: http://eol.org/schema/terms/TypeSpecimenRepository
- Definition: The institution that holds a type specimen for a given species. The recommended best practice is to use the identifier in a collections registry such as the Biodiversity Collections Index (http://www.biodiversitycollectionsindex.org/).
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197908d0-5565-11d8-b290-b8a03c50a862

Known occurrences, collected specimens and observations of Whale Shark. View this species on GBIF

Brian Gratwicke cc-by