Whale Sharks are noted for their dis-
tinctive white spots and wavy lines
on a dark background, color patterns
eerily similar to the bark paintings of
Aboriginal Australians. This 7 -m-plus
( 22 -ft) Whale Shark was being filmed
at Ningaloo Reef, West Australia,
the first place Whale Sharks were
studied in any detail.Photo courtesy of
Jeff Rotman, http://www.jeffrotman.com
The Bluespotted Ribbontail Ray is
a relatively small ( 35 cm, or 14 in,
wide) inhabitant of shallow waters
in the tropical western Pacific. Its
small size and color make it popular
in the aquarium trade, but individu-
als seldom live for long in captivity.
Photo by Jens Petersen, Wikimedia Commons,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Taeniura
_lymma 2 a.jpg
Golden Trevally swim just ahead
of a Whale Shark at the Georgia
Aquarium in Atlanta. This same as-
sociation has been observed in the
wild. Benefits to the trevally could
include improved food finding or
energy saving; benefits to the shark
are probably minimal.Photo by Marj
Awai, courtesy of the Georgia Aquarium; used
with permission
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