Whale shark
Rhincodon typus
- Scientific name
- Rhincodon typus
- Group
- Sharks & Rays
- Rarity
- Legendary
- Where to see it
- Indo-Pacific & Red Sea
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Endangered
Did you know?
The whale shark is the largest fish in the world, sometimes exceeding 12 meters, yet it feeds almost entirely on plankton and small fish filtered through its gills. Each individual has a unique pattern of spots, as distinctive as a fingerprint.
What defines this group — Sharks & Rays
The cartilaginous fish: not a single bone in the body, a skeleton made entirely of cartilage.
- A cartilage skeleton, lighter and more flexible than bone.
- No gill cover: five to seven gill slits open on the sides or underneath.
- Pores on the snout — the ampullae of Lorenzini — pick up the electric field of prey.
Other species in this group
- Common stingray
- Blacktip reef shark
- Small-spotted catshark
- Common torpedo ray
- Bluespotted ribbontail ray
- Thornback ray