Ocean ‘Traffic Jam’ in Perth, Australia Is Absolutely Breathtaking to See
If you live in a city that has a lot of traffic and know how stressful it is to sit in every day, this 'traffic jam' that was captured in Australia might actually make you relax! Although it's a chaotic scene it also somehow serene at the same time.
PerthisOK! shared a video in mid-February 2024 of a below the water traffic jam that happened in Ningaloo. When I say it was chaos, it really was. There was a huge school of fish with birds hunting from above and sharks from below. A whale shark comes into the picture, but what happens next is what causes traffic to stop...it's incredible!
There was a lot going on, but it was so cool to see! Sharks, birds, too many fish to count, and on top of that throw in a couple of whale sharks, the largest fish that swim in any ocean and you've got quite a traffic jam! It was a beautiful sight, and one that many appreciated. PerthisOK! fans had a lot to say, but my favorite comment came from the person who said, "But when I look at a fish when I’m not even in the water it swims away from me like a rocket." Same here!
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Whale Shark Facts
I think it's fair to say that most people know that whale sharks are big...huge would be more accurate. These guys can grow up to 45 feet long (the length of a school bus!) and weigh 41,000 pounds! They are actually sharks, not whales (other than their size), and they are harmless to humans and known as the gentle giants of the sea. But let's talk about what and how they eat.
Whale sharks have a four feet wide mouth and a throat that can gulp around 10,000 gallons of water a day. What goes into that huge mouth? Plankton, krill, and algae...not to mention large amounts of fish at a time including sardines, mackerel, tuna, abalone, anchovies, and others. But even with all the variety they have available to them, they still prefer plankton.
Who snacks on these huge fish? You probably won't be surprised to learn that great white sharks, tiger sharks, blue marlin, and even orcas would be happy to make a meal out of a whale shark. You might be wondering how something so big and inconspicuous could protect itself from predators, and they have a few clever ways they do it. They go out of their way to be considered meals via their migration patterns and avoidance strategies. They are very social animals and will protect their pods by swimming in huge groups that detour predators from trying to approach.
This whole traffic jam was beautiful! The next time I get caught in one, I'd hope to be under the sea in one like this...watching from afar of course!
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