{
"video":
    {
    
    "id":"whale-shark-vin",
    

    "smil":"http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/data/xml/whale-shark-vin.smil",

    "title":"Largest Sharks Live Dangerously",

    "transcript":"\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThe whale shark is the world\u0027s largest known fish and shark, a slow\u002Dmoving filter\u002Dfeeder that can grow more than 40 feet long.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EContrary to its name it\u0027s not a whale.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003ELike many other sharks, these gentle giants are also a threatened species whose numbers have declined dramatically in recent decades, mainly due to overfishing and collision with ships.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EAt a recent United Nations meeting on migratory sharks, whale sharks \u002D\u002D along with great white sharks and basking sharks \u002D\u002D were classified in urgent need of protection.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThese iconic shark species are especially vulnerable partially because of their migratory behavior, according to Zeb Hogan, who studies large fish and heads the National Geographic Society\u0027s Megafishes Project.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EZEB HOGAN: \u002245 percent of migratory sharks and rays have been identified as threatened by extinction, where as only about 18 percent of non\u002Dmigratory sharks and rays ... the reason that is is because migratory sharks obviously move from location to location, and every time a migratory shark moves from one spot to another there is a greater chance that it might be targeted by fishermen or subject to habitat destruction.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EResearchers say whale sharks congregating here in La Paz, Mexico, have been known to travel 8,000 miles across the Pacific to the Tonga Islands.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EZEB HOGAN: \u0022Even if a whale shark is protected here in Mexico, if it\u0027s going to move 8,000 miles across the open ocean, across the high seas where there is absolutely no regulation of fishing, it\u0027s going to be more vulnerable than a fish that just stays here where it\u0027s protected.\u0022\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EWhale sharks are also long\u002Dlived, thought to possibly live up to 60 years.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThey may mature at over 29 feet, and they produce only a few young, making them even more vulnerable to over\u002Dfishing.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EThe Gulf of California may be a critical habitat for the whale sharks, according to doctoral student Deni Ramirez Macias, who has conducted population studies throughout Mexico.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EDENI RAMIREZ: \u0022In the Gulf of California the juveniles aggregate in coastal waters from Baja de Los Angeles to Baja de La Paz ... but we also have pregnant female aggregation in Los Cabos and around here, Spirito Santo Island ... we think the whale sharks probably bull around the southern waters of Gulf of California and this is like a nursery or feeding area for the juveniles to protect them.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EFeeding on a variety of plankton, small crustaceans such as krill, and schooling fishes, whale sharks are harmless to humans.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EEco\u002Dtourism around the giant creatures has grown increasingly popular in recent years, and scientists say the public can play an important role.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EBrad Norman runs Ecocean, an Australian organization that asks divers to submit their photos of whale sharks so they can be catalogued.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EBRAD NORMAN: \u0022We\u0027d like to think of it as citizen science. You can be a tourist or a general member of the public and help us identify individual whale sharks around the globe, and from that we can understand more about their numbers and their movement worldwide ... the spot patterning on the skin of the sharks is unique to each individual animals, and using the photo identification program we can work out if we\u0027re seeing the same sharks or if in fact we\u0027re seeing new sharks coming into an area where whale sharks are seen.\u0022\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EDiving enthusiasts like Marla Downer welcome the opportunity to help scientists learn more about the giant shark.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp class\u003D\u0022MsoNormal\u0022\u003EMARLA DOWNER: \u0022Every diver\u0027s pinnacle of what they\u0027re seeking is to dive with the whale shark ... not only that, but to dive with a purpose, not just looking at the fish, oh, look, there\u0027s a big fish, but we actually take part of some shark research efforts. There\u0027s nothing more fabulous than diving with these gentle giants and getting to be right next to them, look into these sweet eyes and knowing that you could maybe play a part in conserving these creatures for the future.\u0022\u003C/p\u003E",

    "description":"\u003Cp\u003EMarch 5, 2008—It is difficult to protect migrating whale sharks once they leave designated no\u002Dfishing zones. Scientists and even tourists try to help the threatened species.\u003C/p\u003E",
    
    "credit":"Producer\u0026#8212\u003BStefan L\u0026#246\u003Bvgren\u003B Video\u0026#8212\u003BAlfredo Barroso, Jer\u0026#243\u003Bnimo Avil\u0026#233\u003Bs, Luke Inman, and Zeb Hogan",
    

    
    
    
    "still":"http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/media/whale-shark-vin/whale-shark-vin_480x360.jpg",
    
    
    

    
    "allowUserEmbed":"True",
    

    "url":"http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/animals-news/whale-shark-vin/",

    "related":
        {
        "link":
            [
                
                {
                 "name":"VIDEO: Sharks in Love",
                 "url":"http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/fish\u002Danimals/sharks\u002Dand\u002Drays/shark_nurse_mating.html?fs\u003Danimals\u002Dpanther.nationalgeographic.com"
                }
                

                
                ,{
                 "name":"Underwater Photographer On Swimming With Sharks (March 8, 2005)",
                 "url":"http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/06/0623_030627_swimmingwithsharks.html"
                }
                
            ]
        }
    }
}