Interact with Whale Sharks in Donsol, Sorosogon


(photo credit: timothy willis)
The Philippine Butanding ("big fish" in the Filipino dialect) is a whale shark, or Rhincodon typus. It ia a rare marine specie, a slow filter feeding shark that is the largest living fish species, reaching lengths from 18 to 35 feet in length or 13-14 meters and weighs about 20 tons. When it has a length of 4.5 meters, the weight is about 750 kg.

The Butanding inhabits the world's tropical and warm-temperate oceans. Even though considered as primarily pelagic, seasonal feeding aggregations of the sharks occur at several coastal sites such as Donsol, Batangas and Palawan in the Philippines. The highest concentration of whale sharks to be found anywhere in the world is in the Philippines. From January to May, they congregate in the shallow coastal waters of Sorsogon province (at Donsol), and they were found in the waters around Bohol island and some parts of the Visayas and Northern Mindanao.

Donsol is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Sorsogon, Philippines. Donsol is a popular tourist destination for the Butanding that can be seen in the bordering seas. It is nicknamed the "Whale Shark Capital of the World", with the largest number of recorded sightings of whale sharks anywhere in the world. It serves as a sanctuary to a group of 40 whale sharks. Swimming with whale sharks was featured as the "Best Animal Encounter in Asia" by Time Magazine in 2004. Whale sharks can be seen all-year round except during typhoons, with presence peaking between February and May. In recent years the number of male sharks have out-numbered female sharks by 20:1. The females that are seen, are generally large mature adults in the 7m ~ 9m range. In 2006 five sharks were found dead on the surface, within 30 miles of Donsol. They had all been shot at close range. One shark had 13 bullet wounds to the head.

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Climate of the Philippines

Climate of the Philippines

The Climate of the Philippines is tropical and maritime. It is characterized by relatively high temperature, high humidity and abundant rainfall. It is similar in many respects to the climate of the countries of Central America. Temperature, humidity, and rainfall, which are discussed hereunder, are the most important elements of the country's weather and climate.

Temperature

Based on the average of all weather stations in the Philippines, excluding Baguio, the mean annual temperature is 26.6o C. The coolest months fall in January with a mean temperature of 25.5o C while the warmest month occurs in May with a mean temperature of 28.3o C. Latitude is an insignificant factor in the variation of temperature while altitude shows greater contrast in temperature. Thus, the mean annual temperature of Baguio with an elevation of 1,500 meters is 18.3o C. This makes the temperature of Baguio comparable with those in the temperate climate and because of this, it is known as the summer capital of the Philippines.

The difference between the mean annual temperature of the southernmost station in Zamboanga and that of the northermost station in Laoag is insignificant. In other words, there is essentially no difference in the mean annual temperature of places in Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao measured at or near sea level.

Humidity

Humidity refers to the moisture content of the atmosphere. Due to high temperature and the surrounding bodies of water, the Philippines has a high relative humidity. The average monthly relative humidty varies between 71 percent in March and 85 percent in September. The combination of warm temperature and high relative and absolute humidities give rise to high sensible temperature throughout the archipelago. It is especially uncomfortable during March to May, when temperature and humidity attain their maximum levels.

Rainfall

Rainfall is the most important climatic element in the Philippines. Rainfall distribution throughout the country varies from one region to another, depending upon the direction of the moisture-bearing winds and the location of the mountain systems.

The mean annual rainfall of the Philippines varies from 965 to 4,064 millimeters annually. Baguio City, eastern Samar, and eastern Surigao receive the greatest amount of rainfall while the southern portion of Cotabato receives the least amount of rain. At General Santos City in Cotabato, the average annual rainfall is only 978 millimeters.

The Seasons

Using temperature and rainfall as bases, the climate of the country can be divided into two major seasons: (1) the rainy season, from June to November; and (2) the dry season, from December to May. The dry season may be subdivided further into (a) the cool dry season, from December to February; and (b) the hot dry season, from March to May.

Typhoons have a great influence on the climate and weather conditions of the Philippines. A great portion of the rainfall, humidity and cloudiness are due to the influence of typhoons. They generally originate in the region of the Marianas and Caroline Islands of the Pacific Ocean which have the same latitudinal location as Mindanao. Their movements follow a northwesterly direction, sparing Mindanao from being directly hit by majorty of the typhoons that cross the country. This makes the southern Philippines very desirable for agriculture and industrial development.

Climate Map