World Record!! Jinta, Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium’s whale shark, holds the world record for long-term rearing!

Jinta, the male whale shark, will have been cared for and exhibited at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium for 24 years this March. Jinta has the world record for being reared in an aquarium, and continues to extend this record.
Jinta was brought to the aquarium in March 1995 as a young whale shark that was 4.6 meters in length. Now an adult, he has reached 8.7 meters. Through long term rearing, the aquarium hopes to contribute to the conservation of wild whale sharks by acquiring data on whale shark growth, maturation, behavior, and reproduction. We hope to shed light on their ecology through our study of whale sharks at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium.

≪Whale shark≫
Scientific name：Rhincodon typus

The world’s largest species of fish. Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium houses two whale sharks (one male and one female), one of our goals is for the successful breeding of these whale sharks which has never been achieved at aquariums around the world. Although our large male whale shark is 8.7 meters long and approximately 5.5 tons, there are whale sharks in the wild that have been found to be 12 meters in length, therefore we believe that he is still in the process of growth. There are other aquariums in Japan that rear whale sharks, however it is an animal with many mysteries and because of this Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium hopes to help shed light on its ecology through long-term rearing.