| Photograph |
Aquarium and Details |
TL (m)
M (kg) |
Sex |
Time in captivity |
| |
Mito Aquarium (Izu Mito Sea Paradise). First captive
record for a whale shark from1934. The whale shark was kept for 122 days
in a net enclosure of a natural bay |
|
|
122 d |
| |
Marine Palace (Oita Ecological Aquarium, Oita Japan)
obtained a 60 cm male neonate from the Taiwan litter and kept
it successfully for 3 years and 2 months until it died in Sept. 1998 when
3.7 m total length. |
0.60 - 3.7 |
M |
3.2 yr |
 |
Kagoshima City Aquarium, Japan. Were successful
in keeping captive whale shark, but Nishida (2001) gives no details.
They currently have a whale shark on display in their1.5 million-liters
Open Ocean tank (since spring 2006). (Thanks to Filipe Pereira for info
and photo).
|
|
|
~1 yr |
| |
Kinosaki Marine World, Japan. Attempted to keep captive
whale shark but not successful as of Dec. 2000. |
|
|
|
| |
Notojima Aquarium, Japan. Attempted to keep captive
whale shark but not successful as of Dec. 2000. |
|
|
|
| |
Aquarium Thiruvananthapuram, India
The
Hindu Dec. 27, 2002
Kerala: Whale shark dies in aquarium Thiruvananthapuram,
Dec 27. (PTI): A rare whale shark kept in an aquarium here died "due
to difficulty in surviving in artificial conditions," after attracting
sizeable visitors since it was brought ashore by local fishermen yesterday.
The 95 cm long white-dotted "juvenile" belonging to "Rhincodon typus"
species, netted off the Vizhinjam coast near here, was the smallest
of the type recorded so far from the Indian coast, a scientist at the
Marine Aquarium at Vizhinjam said. The largest living fish species,
the smallest of this type recorded earlier was 3.15 metres long, the
Aquarium Principal Scientist Gopakumar said. "The species which can
grow upto 20 metre long and weigh up to 20 tonnes when full-grown normally
scan 2500 metres depth in the sea. At birth, it is on an average 50
cm long. The one we kept here must have found it difficult to survive
for long in the aquarium tank," he said. It is called whale shark because
its head-region resembles that of a whale, he said. International Union
for Conservation of Natural Resources (IUCNR) has listed it as "vulnerable"
due to its fast dwindling population. |
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|
|
 |
Okinawa Churaumi
Aquarium, Japan.
UCHIDA, S.;TODA, M;KAMEI, Y.;TERUYA, H. Okinawa Expo Aquarium,
Okinawa, 905-0206 Japan The husbandry of 16 whale sharks Rhincodon typus,
from 1980 to 1998 at the Okinawa expo aquarium From 1980 to 1998 16 whale
sharks, Rhincodon typus , were kept in captivity at Okinawa Expo Aquarium,
Okinawa, Japan. They were captured around Okinawa Is. by set-nets the
center of which is located at 26¡23«N, 127¡41«E from March to September.
The sea water temperature of the time captured were 21.1 to 29.0¡C at
the depth of 20 m. Only two of 16 sharks were females and 14 were males,
The mean value and range in total length and body mass were 4.8 m and
3.1 to 6.3 m, and 814 kg and 290 to 1750 kg respectively. They were kept
in the Kurosio tank which is 27 m long, 12 m wide and 3.5 m deep 1,100
m3 in volume. Water parameters of the tank in mean and range were as follows
: Water temperature(¡C) was 24.6 and 19.8 to 29.6, ph 8.2 and 7.9 to 8.35,
and salinity (o/oo) 35.79 and 33.04 to 37.36. Mean and range of survival
time in the tank were 502 days and 3 to 2056 days (ca. 5y 8m). The Whale
sharks were fed on Euphausia pacifica, E. superba, Sergia lucens, Loligo
japonica and Spratelloides gracilis once a day 6 days week. Mean feeding
rates (food quantity / body mass / week x 100) of a 3.65 m female were
11.0 % in the first year of keeping, 8.5 % in the second year and 8.0
% in the third year. Mean growth per year of this shark was 29.5 cm in
total length ( survival time : 2056 days) , 4.5 m male shark 21.6 cm (1040
days) and 4.85 m male 25.5 cm (458 days) respectively. Feeding and other
behaviors in tank are reported. |
|
|
9 yr for now 7 m long male |
 |
Whale Sharks in Okinawa Bay.
Thanks to Ollie Lloyd for text and photo.
500 feet off the Okinawa Bay, the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium
keep an open water netted enclosure of 30m diameter and 20m depth housing
juvenile and grown whale sharks. The sharks kept in the nets are from
the Aquarium's rotation system, where the sharks are moved to the nets
when they have had a suitable amount of time living at the aquarium
and then are eventually moved back, much like a resort or spa. New whale
sharks captured for the aquarium are also living in the nets. The aquarium
company offers free diving with the Whale Sharks within the nets. |
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|
|
 |
Osaka Aquarium KAIYUKAN, Japan
Have successfully kept whale sharks for
a number of years under the guidance of Director Uchida and other staff
of the Okinawa Expo Aquarium. Nishida (2001) gives a detailed account.
Kitafuji and Yamamoto (1998) reported that a 4.07 m TL female grew 2.36
m in 1825 days or 45.2 cm/yr. Presently they hold one whale shark in
their 5.4 million liter tank (Filipe Pereira personal communication,
2007). |
4.07 |
F |
5 yr |
 |
Osaka Aquarium KAIYUKAN, Japan
This institution added two whale sharks
to its "Pacific Ocean" 5.4 million-litter exhibit. The two
new residents measure 4.23 and 4.5 meters long and are now the major
attractions of the Kaiyukan Aquarim. No information about the genre
of the two specimens, though the pictures may help to find that out...(Filipe
Pereira personal communication, July 2008).
|
4.23 & 4.5 |
|
|
 |
National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Ping TungTaiwan
Three whale sharks were on exhibit since June
2005 after two failed attempts to exhibit the species. The first successful
capture was a female named "Cha-cha" (= success success) with
the peculiarity of no first dorsal fin, perhaps stolen by fishermen
or eaten by a tigershark. She came to the aquarium measuring ~4.2 meters
total length. "Cha-Cha" was released on March 7, 2007, after
three years of successful husbandry. The specimen was 5.2 m TL at release
and weighed more than 1000 kg. Thanks to Filipe Pereira for update and
photo. |
5.2 |
|
3 yr |
 |
Georgia Aquarium, USA
Two males (Nortan and Ralph) about 4 m long
and weighing about 500 kg each were transported by airplane from Taiwan
to Atlanta, Georgia USA on June 6, 2005 after being caught be local
fishermane and kept in Hualien for months. Two female whale sharks (Alice
and Trixie) arrived in 2006. One of the males caught in 2005 (Ralph,
now 6.7 m long) died
in Janurary 2007. (Thanks to Andy Johns for URL). CNN.com: Aquarium
looks for answers in whale shark death.
Updates provided by Filipe Pereira:
On 01 June 2007, two male whale sharks, "Yuchan"
and "Taroko" (approximately 13 (~4 m) and 14 feet (~4.3 m)
TL, respectively), were flown from Taiwan to Atlanta's Georgia Aquarium
to join Norton (M), Alice (F)and Trixie (F) in the 6.2 million gallon
Ocean Voyager Exhibit. The names given to the specimens were decided
among Taiwanese fishermen, who have been colaborating with the aquarium's
staff since 2005, and are meant to be a gift for recognition of their
work.
On 13 June 2007, a second whale shark died at the Ocean
Voyager exhibit (Norton, the other specimen brought to Atlanta in June
2005). Norton's death might be related to the same problem that affected
Ralph, caused by the special treatment of the water in the 6.2 million
gallon tank. Apparently, it has lead to a progressive loss of appetite
in both animals, forcing staff members to feed them artifficially through
a PVC tube which might have damaged their stomachs, the apparent cause
of death.
|
~4 |
M |
~ 2 yr |
 |
Atlantis, The Palm (Dubai):
A 4-meter long juvenile whale shark was found stranded in a shallow
water laggoon off the coast of Dubai in the Summer of 2008. Water temp
was 37-38C and salinity of 47ppt chloride. Swimming was very labored.
She was transferred to the aquarium which is 11 million liters. Water
temp is maintained during the summer months at 23C and salinity is ambient
for the region at 39-40ppt. She was emaciated on arrival and started
eating after 16 days. Currently being fed a mixture of 50% E. superba
and E. pacifica plus multiple vitamins. Thanks to Filipe Pereira and
Steve Kaiser for information and photo.
|
~4 |
F |
|
| Photograph |
Aquarium and Details |
TL (m)
M (kg) |
Sex |
Time in captivity |