Osaka Aquarium Welcomes World's Largest Fish

Oct 07, 2024 | News On Japan

OSAKA - A whale shark, the world's largest species of fish, has been relocated from a research facility in Kochi Prefecture to the Kaiyukan aquarium in Osaka and was opened to the public on October 3rd.

The new male whale shark, named "Kai," measures 4.7 meters in length and weighs around 700 kilograms. It was carefully transported to its new tank, where it immediately impressed visitors with its graceful swimming.

This transfer marks a continuation of a tradition at the aquarium, where male whale sharks are named "Kai" and females "Yuu." The previous whale shark, which had been at Kaiyukan since 2019, was returned to Kochi and released into the Pacific Ocean, equipped with a tracking device for research purposes.

Director Hiroyuki Murakami expressed mixed emotions about the transition but wished for the whale shark's well-being in the wild.

Source: ANN

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