Gulf oil displaced, killed whale sharks? [View All]

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Gulf oil displaced, killed whale sharks?

Washington, Sep 26 : As an aftermath of one of the largest oil spill accident in the Gulf of Mexico, the feeding habitat of whale sharks has been destroyed, possibly killing some of the world's largest fish, a new research has suggested.

An estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil (one barrel equals 42 gallons, or 159 liters) flowed into an area south of the Mississippi River Delta, where of one-third of all northern Gulf of Mexico whale shark sightings have occurred in recent years, scientists said.

The 45-foot-long (14-meter-long) fish, still largely a mystery to scientists, is considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

"This spill's impact came at the worst possible time and in the worst possible location for whale sharks," National Geographic News quoted Eric Hoffmayer of the University of Southern Mississippi as saying.

Sightings confirmed that the animals were unable to avoid the slick at the surface, where the giant fish may feed for seven to eight hours a day. The oil may have clogged the fish's gills, suffocating them, or it might have contaminated their prey-though no dead whale sharks have been found, Hoffmayer noted.


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