Whale Sharks: Giants of the Ocean

I painted this close encounter of a scuba diver swimming with whale sharks (Rhincodon Typus) in the Philippines as part of a series of commissioned oil paintings in 2016.*

I included a scuba diver to highlight the incredible size of the whale shark compared to a human, as well as its majestic presence. I wanted to suggest their meeting as a wondrous yet intimate moment in time between humanity and nature.

*See more in the section ‘Whale sharks and biodiversity in the Philippines.’

Elusive and mysterious

Adult whale sharks are often found at the surface, making them popular with snorkelers and divers. Despite their friendliness, these creatures remain enigmatic to scientists and conservationists; their maximum size, lifespan, and age of sexual maturity unconfirmed. Researchers are also unsure why they have spots.*

*See more on these topics in the following sections.

Ocean giants

Whale sharks (Rhincodon Typus) are the largest known extant fish species in the world. They are not whales, but their size is comparable. They dwarf great white sharks in size; the average size of a whale shark is around 32 feet, whereas great whites grow to around 20 feet. However, whale sharks are believed to grow over 40 feet (20 metres), similar to that of a bus. They can also weigh up to 20 tonnes. Whale sharks do not have any natural predators.

Habitat

Most sharks prefer temperate climates, except for Greenland sharks, which live in the Arctic and Northern Atlantic. Some whale sharks have been found in colder North Atlantic water near New York, but most are found in warm, tropical waters such as the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

According to this National Geographic video, titled ‘Investigating the Mysterious Whale Sharks of Mafia Island,’ whale sharks help support small ecosystems, as they are often found with schools of smaller fish alongside them, presumably hoping to catch small morsels or plankton when the shark feeds.

My painting shows a school of smaller fish following one of the whale sharks:

Interestingly, this phenomenon has inspired local fishermen living on Mafia Island, Tanzania, to work alongside whale sharks to catch the fish without harming the sharks.

Deep divers

Although often found at the surface, whale sharks can dive further than 1000 metres. In one study, based in the Saudi Arabian Red Sea, researchers used three types of satellite-transmitting tags to track the movements of 47 whale sharks.

Their findings were impressive:

The whale sharks made frequent deep dives to at least 500 metres (1,640 feet);
Three of the tagged sharks made excursions below 1,000 metres (3,281 feet);
The deepest dive they recorded was 1,360 metres (4,462 feet).

Distinctive and unique spot patterns

Whale sharks are the only species of the genus Rhincodon, part of the family Rhincodontidae. They are classified within the order Orectolobiformes, which contains seven families of sharks and includes the carpet sharks. Carpet sharks are given the name due to their mottled body patterns, evocative of carpet-like designs.

Whale sharks are easy to identify due to their size and distinctive pattern of white spots and stripes. The patterns are believed to be as unique to each individual as a fingerprint is to a human. However, the purpose of their spots is a mystery. Typically, patterns occur to aid camouflage; wobbegongs (a common name given to the 12 species of carpet sharks within the family, Orectolobidae), use the spots on their bodies as camouflage as they rest on the seafloor, and to help them blend in with the reef.

Intriguingly, it has been suggested that the spots on whale sharks help protect the sharks from harmful ultraviolet rays.

Feeding habits

Most sharks are carnivores, but some, like the whale shark, are filter-feeders. Inside the whale shark’s mouth are several hundred rows of small, hook-shaped teeth. Although it has a mouthful of teeth, the shark doesn’t use them to bite or chew food.

The whale shark is one of three species of filter-feeding sharks, namely the basking shark, and the more mysterious but aptly named megamouth shark. The whale shark actively swims through plankton, sieving these organisms through its gills; it has been observed ram filter-feeding and at times, nocturnally. Whale sharks are migratory animals who appear to move to areas in conjunction with fish and coral spawning.

Sharks within the order Orectolobiformes have eyes set far back behind a small mouth. Unlike most sharks, where the mouth is underneath the snout, the whale shark’s mouth is nearly at the tip of its nose.

Reproduction and longevity

The whale shark is usually solitary, however, it is sometimes found in schools of up to hundreds of individuals. These animals are found mainly in the open sea, but they sometimes come near the shore. Their age of sexual maturity and reproductive biology is unconfirmed, however, scientists presume that whale sharks are ovoviviparous, where the females incubate fertilized eggs inside her before they hatch, giving birth to fully formed live young. You can read more about ovoviviparity, and how it differs to viviparity, here. Each litter contains about 16 young, but litters of many more are possible. In the mid-1990s a female whose uterus contained nearly 300 young was caught near Taiwan. Like the other mysteries surrounding whale sharks, they have never been observed giving birth, and it is not known where this may happen.

It is thought that whale sharks are born between 40-60cm, but there are few sightings of individuals below 3m, and no one has yet determined where they go before reaching this size. However, one whale shark measuring just 38cm was found in the Philippines in 2009, suggesting it was a birthing ground and not simply used for feeding.

The gigantic size of whale sharks suggests they can live up to 100 years.

Whale Sharks, biodiversity, and conservation in the Philippines

As mentioned, the commissioned painting featured in this blog is part of an ongoing series of paintings of the Philippines.

Aside from its abundant natural mineral resources including gold and nickel (the country has the second largest gold deposit in the world), the Philippines is a biodiversity hotspot and a popular place for whale sharks to congregate; it is an archipelago consisting of more than 7,000 islands and is the smallest of the 17 megadiverse countries in the world. The Philippines covers only 2/100 of the total land area of the earth, yet 20,000 species of plants and animals have been recorded here, half of which are found nowhere else in the world. Read more on its biodiversity here.

Donsol, in the Philippine province of Sorsogon, has been identified as a whale shark hotspot, hosting one of the largest aggregations of whale sharks on Earth. 491 individual whale sharks have been identified at Donsol, this equates to 44% of all whale sharks identified in the country. Other large aggregations include Ningaloo Reef in Australia, Mexico, and Mozambique.

15 years ago, WWF Philippines partnered with Donsol and other tourism stakeholders to develop the Community-based Whale Shark Ecotourism Program and establish guidelines for whale shark interactions. Scientists are responsible for researching and studying individual sharks in an attempt to conserve them.

Endangered species

There are over 440 species of sharks in the world. These awesome creatures have outlived the dinosaurs, but many are now sadly threatened with extinction.

Due to threats to their ecosystem, whale sharks have been listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as endangered since 2016. Like all sharks and large fish, whale sharks are vulnerable to bycatch (becoming caught in fishing nets).

It is estimated that 100 million sharks and rays each year are killed by humans. If not victims of bycatch, most are killed by commercial fishermen for their fins and flesh. They are also sometimes illegally hunted and eaten as a delicacy in certain parts of Asia.

Sadly, sharks are greatly misunderstood. For instance, the orca whale is the ocean’s top apex predator, not the great white shark. On average, one person dies each year in the US from a shark attack. Cows, bees, wasps, dogs, and snakes are responsible for far more deaths each year in the US than sharks.

Indeed, whale sharks have no natural predators apart from people.

We need to remember that the ocean is their territory, not ours. Predatory species such as the great white, bull shark, or tiger shark, only attack if they confuse a person for their prey, usually fish or seals. It is best to bear this in mind if we choose to swim in areas of the ocean where they are present.

All sharks are vital to a healthy ecosystem

All marine life is essential to a healthy ecosystem and that of the planet as a whole. Sharks are vital as they maintain the species below them and are indicators of ocean health. The apex predators feed on weak and sick animals and ensure biodiversity.

Coral reef ecosystems, seagrass beds, and commercial fisheries have all declined due to the loss of sharks. Without sharks, larger predatory fish, such as groupers, increase in abundance in the coral reefs and feed on the herbivores. As the herbivores decrease, macroalgae increase and expand, leading to the loss of coral and the detriment of the entire reef system.

Majestic and awe-inspiring, yet vulnerable

I recently completed a four-week online course with the University of Southampton on ‘Exploring Our Ocean.’ One of the tasks was to upload an image, title, and description, to represent what the ocean meant to me; I uploaded my painting of whale sharks and titled it, ‘Majestic and Awe-Inspiring, yet Vulnerable.’ The wonders of nature surround us. For it to continue to inspire us, we should try to protect it from threats and exploitation.

Shark Week

With Shark Week upon us (9-16 August 2020), I thought it apt to share my painting of whale sharks. Created by the Discovery Channel to raise shark awareness, the event has grown online, with over one million hashtags on Instagram alone.

The Natural History Museum and the American Museum of Natural History have a ‘Nature Drawing Club’ and have included ‘Shark Week,’ so I have tagged them in the image on Instagram to help raise awareness of the vulnerability of whale sharks and the need to protect them.

The Environment Trust: Secret Art Sale, 22-23 Sept 2017

‘No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.’ Aesop

I’m delighted to have been asked to participate for the second year running in the Environment Trust’s Secret Art Sale. This is a two day art exhibition with a twist, where acclaimed artists, jewellers, photographers, architects, scientists and art students all contribute an A5 painting anonymously. Each painting is priced at £35.00, giving you the opportunity to purchase an original work of art by a renowned artist or celebrity at an affordable price. Only once the artwork has been purchased will the name of the artist be revealed! Most importantly, all proceeds benefit the charity’s conservation work in educating and encouraging communities to protect our natural environment and green spaces for posterity, particularly in urban areas. Submissions for 2017 can be viewed here. The artist biographies are also now on the website.

I posted my A5 oil painting at the local post office in the picturesque village, Bourton-On-The-Water, whilst holidaying in the Cotswolds. This is me beside the post office in Bourton’s exquisite model village, built in 1937 and an exact miniature replica of Bourton- a masterpiece by some very talented artists and craftsmen!

Each year, the Secret Art Sale has a unique theme to support the charity’s conservation work. With 24% of Greater London made up of private gardens, the 2016 exhibition was aimed at heightening the awareness of the importance of gardens as a vital resource and habitat for wildlife. The event saw contributions from the Environment Trusts patron, Gordon Buchanan, as well as Quentin Blake, Alan Titchmarsh, Nobel Prize Laureate Sir Paul Nurse, and Axel Scheffler- the Gruffalo artist and another patron of the charity. I’m happy to share that 90% of the paintings on display last year were sold and over £7000 was made, which has been a fantastic asset to their conservation work. The funds generated enabled them to work directly with school, local communities, and others to highlight the use of gardens and other green spaces in urbanised areas as habitat that will encourage the return of once common species such as the hedgehog. You can read more about last years event on their blog. You can also view the paintings and revealed artists from 2016 here. Continue reading “The Environment Trust: Secret Art Sale, 22-23 Sept 2017”

Preserving Vanishing Cultures through Art

“We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow , to love. And then we return home.” Australian Aborigine Proverb

August 9, 2017 marked the 10th anniversary of the UN Declaration of the rights of indigenous people around the world. It was a landmark decision to actively protect the 370 million people that make up the worlds population of indigenous cultures, including the Inuit of the High Arctic, the Eagle Hunters of Mongolia, the Dayak of Borneo, the Honey Hunters in Nepal, the Tuareg people of the Sahara desert, the Australian Aborigines, the Polynesian Maori of New Zealand, the First Nations of America, the Sami tribe in Scandinavia and the myriad of nomadic hunters and semi-nomadic pastoralists and hunter/gatherers around the world. This number may only total 5 per cent of the global population, but the unique contribution these people make to our world far exceeds that number in terms of cultural diversity, knowledge enrichment, sustainable development, enhancing scientific knowledge and tackling climate change.

Indeed, environmental conservation paired with the intellectual legacy of humanity has never been so crucial. With a myriad of challenges currently threatening the planet, including climate change and depleting global resources, this present time is a pivotal opportunity to actively protect indigenous peoples and learn from them. Not only will learning from them help to protect our environment, but recognizing their different histories, ways of life and traditions will help us to reject a generic modern culture, faced with the seemingly inexorable progression of technological advancement and globalisation. Alarmingly, out of the approximately 7,000 languages spoken on earth, one language becomes extinct every fourteen days. My project, ‘Vanishing Cultures’, for which I won the Surrey County Council Art Award, focused on my desire to highlight the gradual effacement of indigenous identities in the face of globalisation and consumerism. By raising awareness of the need for mutual understanding, I hoped to help preserve not just their legacy but also that of humanity, as we are all custodians of one fragile planet.

The project initially evolved as a result of my seeing some students at school getting tattoos depicting Japanese calligraphy without understanding its meaning, their only concern was that it was perceived as a mark of social status. After researching the significance of tattoos and other cultural emblems in certain societies, I realised that their meaning was lost when adopted by another society. I began exploring ‘vanishing cultures,’ a topic already of interest to me as a result of my subscription to the National Geographic magazine. I wanted to highlight the gradual effacement of a strong cultural identity and connection to history, retained most significantly by members of indigenous communities. My project aimed to resist a generic modern culture, whilst maintaining a dialogue between diverging communities and their personal histories.

I discovered a beautiful photo of a Filipino tribal girl in the National Geographic magazine and being of English and Filipino heritage (amongst others), I wanted to represent the closeness and distance of my knowledge with that of indigenous peoples. I decided to paint the tribal girl’s tattoo on my sister’s arm; we frequently used each other as muses but this was especially significant as it was in a sense a self-portrait, but also an objective painting. The Tatak ng Alon tattoo (‘wave imprint’ in Filipino) is symbolic for the tribe and the wearer as each tattoo has a meaning and significance for the individual, consequently that meaning would be lost if adopted by another culture or inscribed on another person. The fact it is being washed away on my sister’s arm represents the gradual disappearance of that history when appropriated without an understanding of the said culture.

Indigenous cultures only disappear when external forces, such as the deforestation of rainforests, engulf them. The final piece aimed to project a future without these cultures and the loss of their knowledge; it depicted a barren and drought devastated environment, akin to a photographic negative. Without the knowledge specific to a particular location, all significance is lost to the interpreter and that knowledge vanishes.

The final painting was on display at my school from 2005-2012 when I wanted to reclaim it for my portfolio. There is far more meaning that I included in the painting that there is not enough space to write here without being verbose, but now that I am working as an artist fulltime, I do feel a burgeoning desire to reinvigorate the project and continue exploring the theme of vanishing cultures. I would like to investigate more ways in which I can use my art to promote the beauty and importance of indigenous communities, and hopefully help preserve their heritage and knowledge for posterity.

There is always Hope – art and conservation in Polperro

‘The sea, the great unifier, is man’s only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: we are all in the same boat.’ Jacques Yves Cousteau, Oceanographer

I have been interested in conservation from an early age, whether it be human or environmental, and have often been inspired to create artworks based on my research. Most artists are intrinsically fascinated with their environment and the sea is no exception: painters, poets, sculptors, filmmakers and musicians have each aspired to capture that elusive vitality of the ocean and our relation to it. In exploring our human connection to the sea, I wanted to capture some of the unique lifestyles of those around the English coastline whose livelihoods depend on the ocean.

It is now just over one year since I last visited the Cornish village of Polperro on holiday and explored its narrow cobbled streets once again. During that summer of 2016, I was invited by local artist Regina Farrell, a member of the British Association of Naive Artists, to exhibit my work in her pretty art gallery on the harbour. I have since been fortunate to have sold some of my favourite original oil paintings and limited edition prints to visiting holidaymakers.

Whilst visiting the area, the stories of local fishermen’s wives captured my interest, some of whom told me their husbands have turned to the tourist industry for a more stable income. Set in a beautiful 12th century harbour, the village’s source of revenue originally came from smuggling and fishing. For centuries, pilchard fishing was the predominant occupation, however shoals of pilchards diminished in the 1900s and it ceased to be the mainstay in the 1960s. Tourism became the main industry during the 20th century, forcing some families to abandon fishing and transform their boats into tourist vessels. At the time we visited, there were currently around a dozen fishing boats in operation, employing over 30 local fishermen. Although I enjoyed our boat trip, it seemed a shame that the fishermen couldn’t be out on the waves, working in a job which they loved and was a part of their heritage.

There is currently a real urgency for marine conservation and the work of artists are vital in helping to secure the protection of our heritage and environment, whilst ensuring the delicate balance between our human need and what resources are available. Artists are uniquely placed to capture people’s imaginations and raise awareness of endangered places and traditions. Fishing in vast quantities may not be sustainable for the planet, but it is important that this way of life continues sustainably for those whose livelihoods depend on an incredibly tough fishing industry and who live in accordance with the ocean. I love the name of this particular Polperro fishing boat, as I feel it is emblematic for the future livelihoods of those who depend on the fishing industry.

This painting is still a work in progress due to some exciting commissions which I will soon be revealing. However I’m looking forward to finishing the painting and adding to my series of Polperro artworks. You can see some of my (finished!) original oil paintings and limited edition prints in person at Gina’s Art Studio, Lansallos Street, Polperro, Cornwall, UK …