A huge shark named Trixie died on Friday after “having difficulty navigating the habitat during the day,” the aquarium said on a Facebook page.
According to the announcement, his health deteriorated rapidly.
According to the announcement, his health deteriorated rapidly.
“He died even after exhausting animal and animal care efforts,” the aquarium said.
Trixie was one of the aquarium’s first whale sharks and is said to have been the star of Ocean Voyager’s 6.3 million-liter exhibit since 2006.
“It has contributed tremendously to our understanding of whale sharks and their care. Loss is inevitable, but it doesn’t make it any less painful,” the aquarium said.
Whale sharks are the largest fish species in the world and are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
According to the aquarium, the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean are native.
Fish range in length from 18 to 32.8 feet, but can grow to more than 60 feet in length.
Despite their enormous size, whale sharks live on a diet of tiny shrimp, krill, fish eggs, sardines, anchovies and other tiny prey.
Threats to whale sharks include mixing in fishing nets, boat strikes, the introduction of marine debris and micro-plastics, and in some cases human intervention through unregulated tourism.
