Release of a video showing whale shark research conducted around the Galapagos Islands!!

From 22nd December 2018 (Saturday), a video about the whale shark survey conducted around the Galapagos Islands will be shown in the Shark Research Lab of the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium.

The video shows underwater ultrasound imaging and the underwater collection of blood samples. These techniques were developed by the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium though the process of rearing whale sharks. Taking place in the Galapagos Islands, this was the world’s first successful observation in the wild of the ovaries along with blood sample extraction to analyze the hormones within the blood.

There are still many mysteries about whale sharks that are yet to be revealed!! Please check out the video.

≪Whale shark≫
Scientific name: Rhincodon typus
English name: Whale shark

This is the world’s largest fish reaching 13 meters in length. Although it is a well-known species, knowledge about its reproductive ecology is limited. In 1995, a large female whale shark (10.6 meters, 16t) was caught in Taiwan and contained 300 pups. Since then there had been no new information about its reproduction. We are looking forward to reliable evidence of pregnancy, mating behavior and birthing.