THE SHARKS OF CHRISTMAS ISLAND
The waters around the fantastically named Christmas Island are home to the world’s largest fish, the awe-inspiring, plankton eating whale shark.
Between November and March these wonderous creatures, which grow up to some 12 metres in length, visit the Island – which is in the Indian Ocean.
They are there for Christmas dinner, which is less turkey and tinsel and more billions of larvae that fills the surrounding waters during the annual red (even the colour is on festive point) crab spawning. And with a mouth that is more than a metre wide, that makes for some Christmas feast.
The spectacular looking island – two thirds of which is national park - is often nicknamed the "Galapagos of the Indian Ocean", and it is easy to see why, as it is perhaps most famous for when some 60 million red crabs migrate from the forest to the coast – a journey which can take up to 18 days!
Each crab carries around 100,000 eggs into the water, making it rich in nutrient and plankton, perfect for the whale sharks.
Other species of shark which have been known to frequent the island include the grey reef shark, tiger sharks, hammerheads and white-tip sharks. But for many, it is all about the sheer number of whale sharks, with some lucky enough to spot over ten in the space of four hours.
But that number is never guaranteed, even less so when you realise that - unfortunately like many species of shark – numbers are falling and it is sadly classed as an endangered species, with its numbers declining by 50% in just the last 75 years.
It has been on that endangered list since 2016, and according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) demand for their meat, fins and oil remains a threat to the species, particularly by unregulated fisheries.
They are also victims of bycatch, the accidental capture of non-target species in fishing gear. And even whale shark tourism presents a threat to the species as it can interrupt their feeding and sharks can be injured by boat propellers.
Christmas Island is also home to a variety of sea birds and spectacular coral reefs. Of course, it’s still only an island if you look at it from the water.
Words by Dean Newman
If you would like to contribute a guest blog, please visit our ‘work with us’ page