Sharks Codexery

Whale shark

The largest fish in the world, a gentle filter-feeding giant of tropical oceans.

Last updated

Whale shark

Zac Wolf · CC BY-SA 2.5

Whale sharks travel thousands of miles across tropical oceans to find seasonal food sources.[1] The whale shark is a slow-moving filter feeder and the largest fish in the world.[2] You'll find these giants cruising the open waters of every tropical ocean, and they almost never hang out in water colder than 21 °C.[3]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassChondrichthyes
  4. SubclassElasmobranchii
  5. DivisionSelachii
  6. OrderOrectolobiformes
  7. FamilyRhincodontidae
  8. GenusRhincodon
  9. SpeciesRhincodon typus

Named by (A. Smith, 1828)

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Whale shark (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 105847 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Endangered (EN)

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN▲ this species
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2025

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

Where the whale shark has been recorded

Where the whale shark has been recorded234 mapped locations from 15,485 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Ningaloo Coast, Table BayNingaloo CoastTable Bay

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (15,485 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 34 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Quick Facts

Genus
Rhincodon
Species
typus

Facts from the source article.

Description

Whale sharks have a broad, flattened head with a large mouth at the front, unlike many other sharks whose mouths are on the underside.[4] One whale shark that measured 12.1 meters long had a mouth that stretched 1.55 meters across.[4] Inside those huge mouths, you'll find more than 300 rows of tiny teeth plus 20 special filter pads that help them strain food from the water.[4] Whale sharks have five big pairs of gills, and their two small eyes sit at the front corners of their wide, flat head.[4][5]

Whale shark
Whale shark. Image: DataBase Center for Life Science (DBCLS) · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Right behind each eye, you'll find a small opening called a spiracle.[4] Their eyeballs are covered in tiny tooth-like scales, and they can also pull their eyes deep into their sockets for protection.[6] A mutation in a light-sensitive pigment in whale sharks' eyes makes that pigment extra sensitive to blue light, the main color in the deep ocean.[7] After a wound heals, the shark's spot pattern actually grows back over the area that was hurt.[8]

Biology and ecology

Whale sharks feed by swimming forward with their mouth open, or by actively sucking in water and food.[9] The filter pads separate food from water in a way that keeps them from clogging up.[9] Whale sharks probably live between 80 and 130 years.[3] A pregnant female caught with about 300 pups showed that whale sharks give birth to live young, each 40 to 60 cm long.[10]

Rhincodon typus, whale shark
Rhincodon typus, whale shark. Image: Don McCulley · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Because of the way they feed, whale sharks are at risk of swallowing microplastics, and researchers have actually found those tiny plastic bits in their poop.[11] Researchers figure out a whale shark's age and growth rate by looking at growth bands in its vertebrae.[12] Male whale sharks grow faster than females when they're young, but they end up not getting as big as the females do.[13] Whale sharks take a long time to become sexually mature, and scientists think males reach that point at around 25 years old.[13]

Male whale shark at Georgia Aquarium
Male whale shark at Georgia Aquarium. Image: Zac Wolf · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

From the little evidence we have, whale sharks seem to become sexually mature at about 8 to 9 meters long, and females might mature at a similar size or bigger.[14] The evidence suggests that a female whale shark can store sperm from a single mating and then produce pups over a long stretch of time.[15]

Distribution and habitat

Whale sharks usually roam between 30° north and 35° south, where the water is warmer than 21 °C.[16] They gather to feed at coastal spots like Ningaloo Reef in Australia, the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, and off Gujarat and Kerala in India.[1] Scientists have tracked whale sharks staying deeper than 50 meters for three days or more without coming up.[17]

Whale Shark, Rhincodon typus, 1965
Whale Shark, Rhincodon typus, 1965. Image: Queensland State Archives · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Human interactions

Touching or riding the sharks is strictly forbidden and fineable in most countries, as it can cause them serious harm.[18] The global population has dropped by about 50% over the last 75 years because of targeted fishing, bycatch, and ship collisions.[1][19] Even though the whale shark is absolutely enormous, it's a gentle giant and doesn't pose any real danger to people.[1][18] Scientists estimate there are between 130,000 and 200,000 whale sharks left, and that number is falling.[19]

The Philippines put a stop to all commercial fishing of whale sharks in 1998, then India followed suit in 2001, and Taiwan did the same in 2007.[20]

Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus)
Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus). Image: Akasmita · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Taxonomy and phylogeny

The whale shark is one of the most ancient shark species still alive today.[21] The oldest fossil teeth come from the Late Oligocene period in South Carolina, US.[21] Their teeth show up in more places from the Early Miocene onward.[21] The whale shark was first recognized as its own species in April 1828, after a 4.6-meter-long one was harpooned in Table Bay, South Africa.[22]

People call it the "whale shark" because of its size and looks, but it's a fish, not a mammal.[22]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Whale sharks, winghead sharks and Bornean orangutans slide towards extinction | IUCN", 8 July 2016 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McClain CR, "Sizing ocean giants: patterns of intraspecific size variation in marine megafauna", PeerJ, 2015 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pierce, S.J., "Rhincodon typus", 2016; Hsu, "Age and growth of the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) in the north-western Pacific", Marine and Freshwater Research, 2014, p. 1145; ; Perry, "Comparing length-measurement methods and estimating growth parameters of free-swimming whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) near the South Ari Atoll, Maldives", Marine and Freshwater Research, 2018, p. 1487 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Colman, "A review of the biology and ecology of the whale shark", Journal of Fish Biology, 1997, p. 1219–1234; Norman, Brad, "CITES identification manual", Environment Australia, 2002; "Whale Sharks, Rhincodon typus", MarineBio.org, 6 April 2017; Kaikini, "A note on the whale shark Rhincodon typus Smith, stranded off Mangalore", Central Marine Fisheries Research Unit, Mangalore, 1959; Compagno, "Species Fact Sheet, Rhincodon typus", Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Norman, Brad, "CITES identification manual", Environment Australia, 2002 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tomita, "Armored eyes of the whale shark", PLOS ONE, 29 June 2020; McGreevy, "Whale Sharks Have Tiny Teeth on Their Eyeballs", Smithsonian Magazine (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "How whale shark rhodopsin evolved to see, in the deep blue sea", ScienceDaily; "Whale sharks see in dark due to mutation behind blindness in humans", The Japan Times, 9 April 2023 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Womersley, "Wound-healing capabilities of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) and implications for conservation management", Conservation Physiology, February 2021 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Motta, "Feeding anatomy, filter-feeding rate, and diet of whale sharks Rhincodon typus during surface ram filter feeding off the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico", Zoology, 2010, p. 199–212 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; Joung, "The whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is a livebearer: 300 embryos found in one 'megamamma' supreme", Environ. Biol. Fish., July 1996, p. 219–223; Clark, "Frequently Asked Questions", Sharklady (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Yong, "Microplastics in fecal samples of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) and from surface water in the Philippines", Microplastics and Nanoplastics, 2021, p. 17 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wintner, "Preliminary Study of Vertebral Growth Rings in the Whale Shark, Rhincodon typus, from the East Coast of South Africa", Environmental Biology of Fishes, 2000, p. 441–451; Hsu, "Age and growth of the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) in the north-western Pacific", Marine and Freshwater Research, 2014, p. 1145; Perry, "Comparing length-measurement methods and estimating growth parameters of free-swimming whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) near the South Ari Atoll, Maldives", Marine and Freshwater Research, 2018, p. 1487 (we also read that so en.wikipedia.org
  13. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Meekan, "Asymptotic Growth of Whale Sharks Suggests Sex-Specific Life-History Strategies", Frontiers in Marine Science, 2020; Ong, "Annual Bands in Vertebrae Validated by Bomb Radiocarbon Assays Provide Estimates of Age and Growth of Whale Sharks", Frontiers in Marine Science, 6 April 2020; Perry, "Comparing length-measurement methods and estimating growth parameters of free-swimming whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) near the South Ari Atoll, Maldives", Marine and Freshwater Research, 2018, p. 1487 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  14. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Colman, "A review of the biology and ecology of the whale shark", Journal of Fish Biology, 1997, p. 1219–1234; Stevens, "Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) biology and ecology: A review of the primary literature", Fisheries Research, 1 March 2007, p. 4–9; Rowat, "A review of the biology, fisheries and conservation of the whale shark Rhincodon typus", Journal of Fish Biology, 2012, p. 1019–1056; Norman, "Size and maturity status of the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) at Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia", Fisheries Research, March 2007, p. 81–86 ( en.wikipedia.org
  15. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Schmidt, "Paternity analysis in a litter of whale shark embryos", Endangered Species Research, 4 August 2010, p. 117–124 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  16. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pierce, S.J., "Rhincodon typus", 2016 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  17. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pain, "Call of the deep", Knowable Magazine, 31 May 2022; Public Library of Science, "Whale sharks in Gulf of Mexico swim near the surface, take deep dives", phys.org, 18 November 2015; Howard, "Whale Sharks Move in Mysterious Ways: Watch Them Online", National Geographic Society, 28 June 2016 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  18. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pictures of the Day: Tuesday, Aug. 04, 2009. Time magazine, "A 40-foot whale shark and a brave snorkeler swim off the South African coast."; Russell, "Scuba diver fined for pulling whale shark tail in Thailand", DIVE Magazine, 9 April 2024; "Whale Sharks ⋅ Saint Helena Island Info ⋅ About St Helena, in the South Atlantic Ocean", sainthelenaisland.info; "Wayback Machine"; Whitehead, Darren Andrew (2014) Establishing a quantifiable model of whale shark avoidance behaviours to anthropogenic impacts in tourism encounters to inform m; Reporter, en.wikipedia.org
  19. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pierce, S.J., "Rhincodon typus", 2016; "Whale sharks 15,000 times more likely to be hit by ships in warming oceans Natural History Museum"; Duffy, "Conservation status of New Zealand chondrichthyans (chimaeras, sharks and rays), 2016", Department of Conservation, 2018, p. 11 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  20. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Memorandum of understanding on the conservation of migratory sharks", Convention on migratory species, p. 10; "Whale Sharks Receive Protection in the Philippines", hayop.0catch.com; National Regulations on Whale Shark fishing. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.; COA bans fishing for whale sharks. Taipei Times, 27 May 2007, p. 4. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  21. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Höltke, "A Review of the Paleobiology of Some Neogene Sharks and the Fossil Records of Extant Shark Species", Diversity, 26 February 2024, p. 147 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  22. Wikipedia, "Whale shark" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Martin, "Rhincodon or Rhiniodon? A Whale Shark by Any Other Name", ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Whale shark (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. What is the scientific name of the whale shark?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Rhincodon typus.

2. To which biological family does the whale shark belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Rhincodontidae.

3. Who first scientifically described the whale shark?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Andrew Smith.

More questions on TriviaCafe

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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