Whale shark Facts
The whale shark is a fish, a slow carpet shark that filters its food from the water, and the largest fish species alive today.
- Class
- Fish
- Scientific name
- Rhincodon typus
- Conservation status
- Endangered (IUCN)
About the whale shark
The longest reliably recorded whale shark measured 18.8 m. It is by far the largest living animal that is not a whale or dolphin. Despite its size, it eats tiny food: plankton, krill, fish eggs, and small fish that swim in schools, like anchovies and sardines. It pushes more than 6,000 liters of water an hour through sieve-like gill pads. It is calm and poses no real danger to people.
Whale sharks travel thousands of miles across tropical oceans following seasonal food. Big, predictable feeding gatherings form off India's Gujarat and Kerala coasts, at Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, and at Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. They live in the open water of every tropical ocean and rarely enter water colder than 21 degrees Celsius.
Did you know?
- Whale shark numbers have fallen more than 50% over the last 75 years.
- The whale shark is the only living species in the genus Rhincodon.
- Fishing, bycatch and collisions with large ships are the main threats to whale sharks.
Questions about the whale shark
What do whale sharks eat?
Tiny food such as plankton, krill and fish eggs, plus small schooling fish like anchovies and sardines.
Are whale sharks dangerous?
No. For all its size, the whale shark is gentle and not a real danger to people.
Sources
- Wikidata Q80378, checked October 8, 2026
- Wikipedia: Whale shark, checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.