Georgia aquarium whale shark dies

ATLANTA - One of the Georgia aquarium's prized whale sharks died tonight. It is the second death of a popular exhibit at the aquarium in ten days.

Aquarium spokeswoman Donna Fleishman says Norton, one of four whale sharks at the one-year-old facility in Atlanta, stopped swimming Thursday afternoon and died about 9:30 Thursday night.

The cause of death was not immediately determined.

Fleisman says Norton recently has has not been eating well and has had some unusual swimming patterns. The aquarium staff administered care and moved him to another tank.

Ralph and Norton, the aquarium's other male whale shark, arrived in June 2005 from Taipei, Taiwan, where they had been destined to become seafood. They were joined a year later by two females, Alice and Trixie, in their 6 million gallon tank.

Gasper, one of the aquarium's five beluga whales, was euthanized January 2 after months of declining health.