Whale Shark

Rhincodon typus

The whale shark is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest fish alive today. The biggest reliably measured individual reached 18.8 m (61.7 ft), making it by far the largest living animal that is not a cetacean. It is the sole living species of the genus Rhincodon and the only surviving member of the family Rhincodontidae, within the subclass Elasmobranchii. Before 1984 it was placed in the genus Rhiniodon and the family Rhinodontidae.

Family

Rhincodontidae

Avg Size

800-1200 cm

Habitat

Whale sharks range through every tropical and warm-temperate sea. Mainly pelagic, they move through both coastal and open-ocean waters, and tracking studies show their use of habitat shifts dynamically, probably to follow prey. Off the northeast Yucatan Peninsula, individuals tend to swim near the surface inshore from sunrise into the early afternoon, then make repeated vertical dives in oceanic water through the afternoon and night.

Behaviour

For all their bulk, whale sharks are harmless to people, and younger animals are gentle enough to interact with divers. Underwater photographers have recorded them swimming alongside humans without incident. Even so, touching or riding them is banned and finable in most countries because it can cause the animals serious harm.

Where & When to See It

Ras Abu Helal

Whale Shark

Where & When to See It

More Sharks