What historical epoch saw the presence of whale sharks successfully navigating significant global climate shifts?
Answer
The Pleistocene epoch
The fossil record confirms that the immense filter feeder, the whale shark, was present and active during the Pleistocene epoch. This period is widely recognized for its significant global climate fluctuations, often characterized by extensive ice ages and dramatic shifts in oceanic conditions. The successful persistence of the whale shark lineage through these severe environmental pressures suggests that their chosen strategy—a slow-moving, pelagic lifestyle focused on low-energy, high-volume plankton intake—was robust enough to allow survival where many contemporary megafauna, including some giant marine reptiles and large terrestrial mammals, ultimately succumbed to environmental instability.
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