Once they have found the plankton they will open their mouths and suck in the water around them like a vacuum. The water comes out of their gills and the plankton gets swallowed and travels down to their stomachs. Can you imagine how much plankton a huge shark needs to eat to be full? They can eat 45 pounds of plankton a day!
People are the biggest threat to whale sharks. Even though whale sharks are endangered, some people still fish for them. People eat whale shark meat, and even use their fins to make shark fin soup. In some places in the world, whale shark fins are used as a sign that someone is very rich. Another human-made problem for whale sharks are boats. Scientists see lots of whale sharks with injuries from boats. If a boat is too close to a shark, the propeller can accidentally cut the shark. Large ships can also run into whale sharks causing them harm. Many countries that have whale sharks are starting to pass laws about how close boats are allowed to get to whale sharks. These laws might help less sharks from getting hurt by boat propellors.
