Singapore got whale shark??

A 3-meter long juvenile whale shark was spotted off Singapore Strait! Yes, Singapore got whale shark! This sighting is only the second time since 1964 - that's 56 years ago! The original sighting was posted by user on Reddit (by the name of Freakzone2212), whose father shared this photo of the shark while on a fishing trip. The exact location of the shark was not revealed.

The iconic whale shark is easily distinguishable based on its characteristic colour, markings and shape of species. Credit: Freakzone2212/Reddit.

This wonderful sighting was later confirmed by Dr Zeehan Jaafar, who studies aquatic fish in the Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore. Based on its diagnostic features such as the grey body with white spots and unique body shape, it was identifiable as a whale shark. Dr Jaafar will formalise the sighting by submitting this record to the Singapore Biodiversity Records, a publication managed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.

Whale shark, also known as Rhincodon typus, is the largest living fish in the world! The largest confirmed individual measured over 18 m long. It is also the sole member of the genus Rhincodon and the only living member of the family Rhincodontidae. Although its name has 'whale' in it, it is in fact a shark - a non-cartilaginous fish.

While other shark relatives eat bigger fish, this gentle giant filter-feeds tiny plankton in the water, gulping down large volumes of water each day to fulfil its large stomach. Occasionally, the small fish would be sucked into its large mouth. Hence, they literally pose no threat to humans.

The first whale shark sighting in Singapore did not end well for the species. Credit: The Straits Times, 7 June 1964.

Unfortunately, the first whale shark sighted in Singapore was no so lucky as this one. The 8.8-meter long whale shark was trapped at a kelong (floating fish farm) near Pulau Sebarok in 1964. With its large size and very little knowledge of the species, the people had likely feared it was dangerous. It was shot 13 times by police then, and towed back to shore. Since then, there has been no sighting of whale shark, until recently!

To find out more about this gentle giant, check out this home-made video by our shore volunteer, Vincent!

Sightings of rare and uncommon marine wildlife are important milestones to remind ourselves that our waters are important grounds for migratory species such as the whale shark. Therefore, we need to ensure that our waters are kept pollution-free and liveable for them to come visit us more often!

Further readings:

• Reddit: Juvenile whale shark (I think) spotted in Singapore waters during my dad's fishing trip. Sorry if it's too hard to see. 12 August 2020.
• mothership.sg: 3-m endangered juvenile whale shark spotted in S'pore waters, second sighting since 1964. 13 August 2020.
• littledayout.com: Spotted: A whale shark in Singapore Waters? 13 August 2020.