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The 2007 film Sharkwater documents ways in which sharks are being hunted to extinction. [15] In 2009, the IUCN Shark Specialist Group reported on the conservation status of pelagic (open water) sharks and rays. They found that over half the pelagic sharks targeted by high-seas fisheries were threatened with extinction. [16] [17] [18]
The first sharks to be included were basking and whale sharks in 2003, [11] and by 2016 a total of 12 shark species and all manta and devil ray species were listed in Appendix II, [12] [13] as well as sawfish species in Appendix I. In 2019 a further 18 species were added (mako sharks, guitarfishes and wedgefishes).
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 18.8 m (61.7 ft). [8] The whale shark holds many records for size in the animal kingdom, most notably being by far the most massive living non-cetacean animal.
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[62] [63] Levels of pollutants in toothed-whale products are significantly higher than those of baleen whales, [64] reflecting the fact that toothed whales feed at a higher trophic level than baleen whales in the food chain (other high-up animals such as sharks, swordfish and large tuna show similarly high levels of mercury contamination). [65]
The whale shark is now classified as ovoviviparous rather than oviparous, because extrauterine eggs are now thought to have been aborted. Most ovoviviparous sharks give birth in sheltered areas, including bays, river mouths and shallow reefs. They choose such areas for protection from predators (mainly other sharks) and the abundance of food.
The distinct smell of shark liver in the air and gulls diving toward a slick on the water’s surface, as well as a second shark carcass measuring 3.55 meters (11.6 feet) discovered nearby, led ...