Whale Sharks

The whale shark is the largest fish in the ocean. It can grow up to 40 feet long or more. Despite its huge size, the whale shark is gentle and harmless to people. It eats tiny plankton and small fish by filtering water through its enormous mouth.

Gentle Giants

Whale sharks swim slowly through warm ocean waters with their mouths wide open. They filter thousands of gallons of water to catch tiny food. Their mouths can be up to 5 feet wide. Even though they are sharks, they have no interest in eating large animals.

Spotty Skin

Every whale shark has a unique pattern of spots and stripes on its skin. No two whale sharks look exactly alike. Scientists use these patterns to identify individual whale sharks. Their skin can be up to 4 inches thick, making it the thickest of any animal.

Fun Facts

• A whale shark's mouth can be up to 5 feet wide.
• Whale sharks can live for over 100 years.
• Each whale shark has a unique spot pattern, like a human fingerprint.

Did You Know?

Despite being called whale sharks, they are not whales at all. They are fish! They got the 'whale' part of their name because of their enormous size.