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butanding.jpg

Draft: Butanding (Whale Shark)

Background Info

The whale shark, known as butanding and other names in the Philippines, is a filter feeder that is found in tropical oceans all over the world. They are found in places like the Mesoamerican Reef, Coastal East Africa, Gulf of California, and the Coral Triangle of Southeast Asia.

Facts

  • Largest shark and fish in the world.

  • Filter feeders found feeding at surface waters.

  • Each Whale Shark has a unique pattern of white spots on their bodies (similar to human fingerprints). This allows individual sharks to be identified.

Status: Endangered

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Scientific Name: Rhincodon Typus

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Weight: ~11 tons 

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Length: ~40 feet 

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Habitat: Tropical oceans

  • There are 200,000-240,000 Whale Sharks in the world. In the last 74 years, they have lost more than half of their population.

  • The distribution of Whale Sharks indicate the presence of plankton and health of the ocean they're in.

Elements of Art

Line: A line is a moving path that is started from a point. It is one-dimensional and can vary in size, length and width. I used line to create the shapes of the Whale Shark.

Shape: Shape is an element in art that is two-dimensional, flat or limited to height and width. In this project I used shapes to make the Whale Shark.

Color: Color is the light we see with our eyes. Light from the sun is made up of the colors of the rainbow, and our eyes can see the light that bounces off an object. I used the color picker on the original picture for the shapes.

Value: Value is the brightness of color. Artists use value to create moods in a piece of art. Different colors give different emotions. I used value to create highlights and shadows on the Whale Shark's head and underside respectively.

Form: When shapes reach the third dimension of depth (real or perceived), and are no longer flat, they become forms. I created form to make the Whale Shark more realistic.

Texture: Texture is the way something feels. In this case it's how something looks like it would feel. The shapes and colors made the Whale Shark look like it feels rough.

Space: Space is a feeling of depth or three dimension.  The water background adds depth to the Whale Shark.

Threats

  • Whale Sharks are highly valued on international markets.

  • High demand for their meat, fins, and oil by unregulated fisheries. 

  • Victims of bycatch(accidental capture of non-target species in fishing gear.

  • Whale Shark tourism can interrupt their feeding, they can get injured from boat propellers.

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