The environmental project Sharkwatch Arabia, aimed at the study of whale sharks, is being implemented in the UAE. Anyone can take part in it, who will meet this world's largest fish off the coast of the Persian or Oman Gulfs.
It is worth noting that this fish, which can reach 20 m in length and has a color similar to human fingerprints, is a frequent visitor to the coastal waters of the United Arab Emirates.
Most often here you can find small individuals, from 2 to 8 meters in length. Their peculiarity lies in the fact that, unlike most of their relatives, they do not attack people and feed only on plankton. It allows you to touch your body and can even ride on your back. Every two years they meet at Dubai Marina. In 2009, they visited the harbor of the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. This species of sharks can live up to 130 years, which is largely due to their leisurely way of life. Most often they rise to the surface to get food, but in places of large concentrations of plankton you can meet a colony of up to 200 sharks at once.
Scientists say that at different times of the year they appear in certain places. For example, in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Djibouti at a time when there can be found clusters of small marine animals. In Central America, their appearance coincides with the spawning of parrot fish. However, the process of their own breeding remains a mystery. According to scientists, they can spawn in the waters of the Persian Gulf, after which the cubs go sailing throughout the Indian Ocean. Studies conducted in the United Arab Emirates, perhaps, will shed light on the nature of the shark and the features of its migration. Previously, such studies have not been conducted. Scientists from the Whale Shark Research Center urge anyone who witnesses their appearance to take pictures of them and send pictures to www.sharkwatcharabia.com.
