50 Fun Facts About Whale Shark

What distinction does the whale shark hold?

It is by far the largest living non-cetacean animal; only the whales beat it.

What is the whale shark's scientific name?

Cetorhinus is the basking shark and Megachasma the megamouth, the only other filter-feeding sharks.

How long was the individual considered the largest reliably recorded whale shark?

A female from the Arabian Sea in 2001, with a standard length of 15 m; a 2015 megafauna review rated it the most reliable measurement.

Despite its name, what kind of animal is the whale shark?

The name refers only to its size and look; like all sharks it is not closely related to whales.

Where was the specimen harpooned in April 1828 that led to the species being described?

Military doctor Andrew Smith described the 4.6 m animal the following year.

How much water can a whale shark process per hour through its gill pads?

The 20 sieve-like pads are presumed to be modified gill rakers.

Where is the whale shark's mouth positioned, unlike most sharks?

One 12.1 m animal had a mouth 1.55 m across.

How many rows of tiny teeth can a whale shark's mouth contain?

They are vestigial and play no role in feeding.

How thick can a whale shark's skin be?

It is very hard and rough, with a spot-and-stripe pattern unique to each individual.

What unusual protective feature do whale shark eyeballs have?

They can also retract the eyes deep into their sockets.

Two mutations tune the whale shark's rhodopsin to which colour of light, dominant in the deep sea?

The pigment is unstable in warm shallow water, so the shark switches it off there and back on at 2,000 m.

Which sex of whale shark grows larger, according to a 2020 Western Australian study?

Males average 8-9 m; the study estimated females at around 14.5 m.

Below what water temperature are whale sharks rarely found?

They roam mostly between 30°N and 35°S but have turned up in the Bay of Fundy and the Sea of Okhotsk.

What is the deepest recorded whale shark dive?

About 95% of their oscillating time is spent above 200 m.

What share of the world's whale sharks belong to the Indo-Pacific subpopulation?

The Atlantic subpopulation ranges from Maine and the Azores to Cape Agulhas.

In 2009 over 400 whale sharks gathered off which coast, one of the largest gatherings ever?

They stay 24-33 days on average, and ecotourism there has grown to unsustainable levels.

Which Western Australian site hosts a famous seasonal whale shark aggregation?

Mating was filmed there from an aircraft for the first time in 2019.

A 2020 study confirmed whale shark vertebral growth bands are annual by comparing them to what?

It aged a 10 m female at 50 and a 9.9 m male at 35.

What is the estimated lifespan of a whale shark?

Males may not mature until about 25.

A female whale shark caught in 1996 was carrying roughly how many pups?

That proved the species is ovoviviparous; pups are 40-60 cm at birth.

How do female whale sharks appear to space out their births?

Pupping has never been observed; mating has been seen only twice, at St Helena.

The smallest living whale shark ever found, in 2009, measured how long?

It was tied to a stake on a Philippine beach and released, suggesting the area is a birthing ground.

What share of whale sharks observed around Darwin Island in the Galápagos were mature cows in one study?

Many were pregnant, suggesting the site matters for reproduction.

How far did the whale shark 'Rio Lady' swim in 150 days from the Yucatan toward the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?

She dived to 1,600 m throughout, possibly heading for an open-Atlantic pupping ground.

Which are the only other two filter-feeding species in the whale shark's group?

The basking shark feeds passively by swimming; the whale shark can also suck water in while stationary.

Whale sharks are technically omnivores because they ingest and partly digest what?

They also eat clouds of fish and coral eggs during mass spawnings, and Christmas Island red crab larvae.

What method separates food from water on a whale shark's filter pads?

Water runs nearly parallel to the pad surface, so it barely clogs; the shark 'coughs' to clear the rest.

How much plankton is a juvenile whale shark estimated to eat per day?

That mode of feeding also makes them prone to swallowing microplastics.

How does the IUCN classify the whale shark?

The population has fallen by more than 50% in 75 years, chiefly from fishing, bycatch and ship strikes.

What is the current estimate of the global whale shark population?

Declines are about 63% in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and over 30% in the Atlantic.

Which country was first to ban all commercial fishing and trade of whale sharks, in 1998?

India followed in 2001 and Taiwan in 2007; CITES Appendix II listing came in 2003.

A 2006 report found what share of whale sharks in Djibouti's Arta Bay carried propeller injuries?

Their long migrations across maritime borders make them hard to protect from shipping.

Where was the first attempt to keep a whale shark in captivity, in a netted bay in 1934?

It lasted about four months; the first aquarium attempt came at Okinawa in 1980.

Which aquarium set the whale shark captivity record, over 26 years as of 2021?

Most of the basic research on keeping the species was done at Okinawa and Osaka.

Which is the only institution outside Asia ever to keep whale sharks?

Its sharks were imported from Taiwan's fishing quota, a 28-36 hour journey; Taiwan closed that fishery in 2008.

What were the names of the two Georgia Aquarium whale sharks that both died in 2007?

Trixie died in 2020, Alice in 2021 and Taroko in 2025, leaving Yushan, who arrived in 2007.

What does the Malagasy name for the whale shark, 'marokintana', mean?

It refers to the pattern of spots on the shark's back.

The whale shark appears on the reverse of which country's 100-peso banknote?

There it is called butanding; snorkellers must stay 1.2 m away or risk a fine and even prison.

What is the whale shark called in Japan, after a patterned garment its markings resemble?

In Vietnam it is 'ca ong', literally 'sir fish'.

The whale shark shares the 2015-2017 Maldivian 1000 rufiyaa banknote with which animal?

Divers seek whale sharks near Maamigili in the Maldives' South Ari Atoll.

Where are the earliest whale shark fossil teeth known from?

It is one of the most ancient shark species still living.

Before 1984, the whale shark's genus was spelled how?

An extinct relative, Rhincodon ferriolensis, has been described from Europe.

In 1919 Hugh M. Smith described a huge whale shark caught in a bamboo fish trap in which country?

It was too heavy to land; locals put it at 'at least 10 wa', later rendered as about 18 m.

What happened when the ship Maunganui rammed a whale shark in the South Pacific in 1934?

Reports had 4.6 m on one side of the bow and 12.2 m on the other.

A whale shark found floating off Karachi in February 2012 weighed roughly how much?

It was 11-12 m long.

How many prominent ridges run along each side of a whale shark's body?

They start above and behind the head and end at the tail stock.

The 2010 Gulf oil spill hit an area with what share of northern-gulf whale shark sightings?

The sharks could not avoid the surface slick where they feed, though no dead ones were found.

What is forbidden and fineable in most countries when swimming with whale sharks?

They are docile and young ones will play with divers, but contact can seriously harm them.

Which BBC programme filmed a whale shark timing its arrival to a mass fish spawning to feed on the eggs?

It also showed one feeding on a school of small fish.

A 2014 report said which country illegally killed hundreds of whale sharks a year for fins, skin and oil?

CITES Appendix II has regulated international trade since 2003.