Whale Shark

The whale shark is the largest living fish species, found in warm tropical and temperate oceans worldwide, capable of growing to lengths of well over twelve metres despite being a gentle filter feeder rather than a predator of large prey. It has a broad, flattened head, a wide mouth that can stretch up to a metre and a half across, and a distinctive pattern of pale spots and stripes on its dark grey-blue skin, a pattern unique to each individual that scientists use to identify and track specific sharks over time. Whale sharks feed by filtering enormous volumes of water through their gills to strain out plankton, small fish and fish eggs, often congregating seasonally in large numbers at sites where prey becomes especially abundant. Despite its size, the whale shark is docile and generally tolerant of divers and swimmers, which has made it an important draw for ecotourism in several countries, and it is classified as endangered due to slow reproduction, vessel strikes and targeted fishing in parts of its range.