Whale Shark

This week features the letter ‘W’, and today’s spotlight is on the Whale Shark. 

Whale sharks are the largest species of shark, and the largest fish, in the world’s oceans. They are easily recognised by their distinctive pattern of white spots, which makes them one of the most visually iconic marine animals. 

Although primarily feeding on plankton, whale sharks occasionally consume small fish. They are often seen swimming close to the surface with their mouths wide open in a behaviour known as ram filtration, where water filled with plankton is funnelled directly into their mouths. Interestingly, whale sharks do have teeth, over 3,000 each measuring up to 3 mm, but these are not used for feeding. 

Female whale sharks give birth to live young, although this has never been observed in the wild. 

Despite their gentle nature, whale sharks face several threats. They are still targeted by commercial fisheries in some parts of the world, are often caught as bycatch, and are at risk of serious injury or death from ship strikes.