This is what we were swimming with in Utila
Tiff sent me some pictures she'd taken in Central America, including several of these odd fish, whale sharks.
From a website: "The Whale shark (Rhincodon Typus) is the largest fish in the world, growing up to 12m (40 feet) in length. Despite their size, they are harmless, feeding on plankton and small fish which are filtered from the water as they cruise the world's oceans. Whale sharks are found in warm waters worldwide including Australia, Mexico, Honduras, Hawaii and Thailand. In these countries, these giant sharks are regarded with the respect they deserve and many a diver has been awed by their silent presence.
Unfortunately, in other countries such as India and the Philippines, the whale shark is often hunted for meat which is sold to feed the rich mouths of Taiwan, where whale shark meat is an expensive delicacy. Numbers have certainly been reduced, but with the migratory habits of the sharks, it is very difficult to track and count them. This year, there was finally some progress when the CITES conference of 2002 placed the whale shark and the basking shark on a list of species to be considered under threat. This does not yet mean a ban on fishing but is an important first step."
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