"Lucca Brazzi swims with the fish"
Of course that title is a modified version* of a line from "The Godfather"....but I like to swim with 'em sometimes, too.
Anyway, on my recent trip to Mexico I would have really liked to swim with the biggest fish:
The Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus)
They are a member of the shark family and as such have no "real" bones, but only cartilage. These fish are live bearers. The eggs develop and hatch in the uterus. Several hundred babies are born live.
Length: up to 40 or 50 feet.
Weight: up to 20 tons.
Diet: They are plankton filter feeders. They do not eat large fish or other large animals. They swim through the water at about 2 to 3 knots constantly filtering plankton, fish eggs, shrimp and small sardine-like fish from the water.
There are a lot of charter outfits that will take you to them.
Here are but a few links for those:
Grey Whale
Manta Divers
Mexico Whale Shark
(There are lots more)
Unfortunately, I was there at the wrong time of year; those critters are migratory, and they mostly only show up to feed in the Caribbean in July and August.
However, I might see some this Winter...
*The line was actually "sleeps with the fish".
Anyway, on my recent trip to Mexico I would have really liked to swim with the biggest fish:
The Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus)They are a member of the shark family and as such have no "real" bones, but only cartilage. These fish are live bearers. The eggs develop and hatch in the uterus. Several hundred babies are born live.
Length: up to 40 or 50 feet.
Weight: up to 20 tons.
Diet: They are plankton filter feeders. They do not eat large fish or other large animals. They swim through the water at about 2 to 3 knots constantly filtering plankton, fish eggs, shrimp and small sardine-like fish from the water.
There are a lot of charter outfits that will take you to them.
Here are but a few links for those:
Grey Whale
Manta Divers
Mexico Whale Shark
(There are lots more)
Unfortunately, I was there at the wrong time of year; those critters are migratory, and they mostly only show up to feed in the Caribbean in July and August.
However, I might see some this Winter...
*The line was actually "sleeps with the fish".
posted by camojack | 03:35
9 Comments:
Something about this article seems "fishy" to me. Are you "baiting" us to believe this "fish tale"?
(:D) Regards...
P.S. -- Today's word is "fchyykid". Is that pronounced "fishy-kid"?
Didn't "Chichen Itza Cenote" have gold fish???
That's a really beautiful fish. I didn't know they bore live offspring. Great image, Camo! Thanks!
Hawkeye®:
Of course I'm trying to "bait" you...into checking out things that are exciting and new.
(To me, anyway)
And I'm always "fishing" for compliments, too.
Maggie:
To hear some folks tell it, everything tastes like chicken.
But as for people tasting like that to Whale Sharks, we're too big; they only eat plankton and such, like some actual whales.
rusty:
Yes, it's a whale tale.
JR:
The Chichen Itza cenote had human bones in it, from what I was told, but I didn't check for myself. Other cenotes that I did check for myself had fish in them though, so it's entirely possible that one did also.
benning:
I agree, they truly are magnificent creatures.
I'm glad you like the picture...
Ah, the ultimate 'one that got away' story!!
What a spectacular "critter." Nothing "fishy" about this story! :-)
MargeinMI:
Yes, the opportunity got away from me...this time.
'da Bunny:
If you check out the first charter outfit link in the post, they also have all-inclusive trips from your area...
ELEVENTEEN!!!
Road Rider:
I think they're pretty cool...and would really love to go swimming with one or more of them sometime.
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