Some researchers also maintain that whale sharks are very particular about water quality. Their gill structure is fragile and they need to keep moving in order to breathe. To date there have very few examples of humans successfully keeping whale sharks alive in captivity for long periods. This is another reason why people find it very difficult to learn more about whale sharks.
也有人認為，鯨鯊對水質的要求很高，牠們的魚鰓構造脆弱，需要不時游動以進行氣體交換，至今仍少有長期養活過鯨鯊的例子，這也是人類很難理解鯨鯊、採取有效保育的原因。