View source for Biology:Whale shark

{{Short description|Largest living species of fish}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Whale shark
| fossil_range = {{Geological range|28.4|0|ref=<ref name=FW>{{cite web | title = ''Rhincodon typus'' in the Paleobiology Database | work = [[Biology:Fossilworks|Fossilworks]] | url = http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=170186 | access-date = 17 December 2021}}</ref>}}
| status = EN
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Pierce, S.J. |author2=Norman, B. |date=2016 |title=''Rhincodon typus'' |volume=2016 |page=e.T19488A2365291 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T19488A2365291.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| status2 = CITES_A2 
| status2_system = CITES 
| status2_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}</ref>
| image = Similan Dive Center - great whale shark.jpg
| image_caption = Whale shark in the Andaman Sea around the Similan Islands
| image2 = Whale-Shark-Scale-Chart-SVG-Steveoc86.svg
| image2_caption = The size of various whale shark individuals with a human for scale
| grandparent_authority = 
| genus = Rhincodon
| parent_authority = A. Smith, 1829<ref name="Smith, 1829" /><ref name="Melville, 1984" />
| species = typus
| authority = (A. Smith, 1828)<ref name="Smith, 1828" /><ref name="Penrith, 1972" /><ref name="Melville, 1984" />
| synonyms =
*''Micristodus punctatus'' <small>Gill, 1865</small>
*''Rhineodon'' <small>Denison, 1937</small>
*''Rhiniodon typus'' <small>A. Smith, 1828</small><ref name="Smith, 1828" />
*''Rhinodon pentalineatus'' <small>Kishinouye, 1901</small>
*''Rhinodon typicus'' <small>Müller & Henle, 1839</small>
| range_map = Cypron-Range Rhincodon typus.svg
| range_map_caption = Range of whale shark{{Update inline|date=November 2020}}
}}

The '''whale shark''' ('''''Rhincodon typus''''') is a slow-moving, [[Biology:Filter feeder|filter-feeding]] [[Biology:Carpet shark|carpet shark]] and the largest known extant [[Biology:Fish|fish]] [[Biology:Species|species]]. The largest confirmed individual had a length of {{convert|18.8|m|ft|1|abbr=on}}.<ref name=":1">McClain CR, Balk MA, Benfield MC, Branch TA, Chen C, Cosgrove J, Dove ADM, Gaskins LC, Helm RR, Hochberg FG, Lee FB, Marshall A, McMurray SE, Schanche C, Stone SN, Thaler AD. 2015. "Sizing ocean giants: patterns of intraspecific size variation in marine megafauna". ''PeerJ'' 3:e715 {{doi|10.7717/peerj.715}}.</ref> The whale shark holds many records for size in the animal kingdom, most notably being by far the most massive living non-mammalian animal. It is the sole member of the genus '''''Rhincodon''''' and the only extant member of the family [[Biology:Rhincodontidae|Rhincodontidae]], which belongs to the subclass [[Biology:Elasmobranchii|Elasmobranchii]] in the class Chondrichthyes. Before 1984 it was classified as ''Rhiniodon'' into Rhinodontidae.

Whale sharks inhabit the open waters of all tropical oceans. They are rarely found in water below {{convert|21|C|F}}.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> Whale sharks' lifespans are estimated to be between 80 and 130 years, based on studies of their vertebral growth bands and the growth rates of free-swimming sharks.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last1=Hsu|first1=Hua Hsun|last2=Joung|first2=Shoou Jeng|last3=Hueter|first3=Robert E.|last4=Liu|first4=Kwang Ming|date=2014 |title=Age and growth of the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) in the north-western Pacific|url=http://www.publish.csiro.au/?paper=MF13330|journal=Marine and Freshwater Research|volume=65|issue=12|pages=1145|doi=10.1071/MF13330 |issn=1323-1650}}</ref><ref name="fishbase">{{cite web|last=Colman|first=J. G. <!--as per FishBase's request to cite main ref author as author--> |editor1-last=Froese|editor1-first=Ranier|editor2-last=Pauly|editor2-first=Daniel |title=''Rhincodon typus'' |url=http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=2081|access-date=17 September 2006 |publisher=FishBase}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last1=Perry|first1=Cameron T.|last2=Figueiredo |first2=Joana|last3=Vaudo|first3=Jeremy J.|last4=Hancock|first4=James|last5=Rees|first5=Richard |last6=Shivji|first6=Mahmood|date=2018|title=Comparing length-measurement methods and estimating growth parameters of free-swimming whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) near the South Ari Atoll, Maldives |url=http://www.publish.csiro.au/?paper=MF17393|journal=Marine and Freshwater Research|volume=69|issue=10 |pages=1487|doi=10.1071/MF17393|issn=1323-1650}}</ref> Whale sharks have very large mouths and are filter feeders, which is a feeding mode that occurs in only two other sharks, the [[Biology:Megamouth shark|megamouth shark]] and the [[Biology:Basking shark|basking shark]]. They feed almost exclusively on [[Earth:Zooplankton|plankton]] and small fishes and pose no threat to humans.

The species was distinguished in April 1828 after the harpooning of a {{convert|4.6|m|ft|abbr=on}} specimen in Table Bay, South Africa. Andrew Smith, a military doctor associated with British troops stationed in [[Place:Cape Town|Cape Town]], described it the following year.<ref>{{cite web |last=Martin |first=R. Aidan |title=Rhincodon or Rhiniodon? A Whale Shark by Any Other Name |publisher=ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research |url=http://elasmo-research.org/education/topics/ng_rhincodon_or_rhiniodon.htm}}</ref> The name "whale shark" refers to the animal's appearance and large size; it is a fish, not a [[Biology:Mammal|mammal]], and (like all sharks) is not closely related to [[Biology:Whale|whale]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Brunnschweiler |first1=J. M. |last2=Baensch |first2=H. |last3=Pierce |first3=S. J. |last4=Sims |first4=D. W. |date=3 February 2009 |title=Deep-diving behaviour of a whale shark ''Rhincodon typus'' during long-distance movement in the western Indian Ocean |journal=Journal of Fish Biology |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8649.2008.02155.x |pmid=20735591 |volume=74 |issue=3|pages=706–14 }}</ref> In addition, its filter feeding habits are not unlike those of [[Biology:Baleen whale|baleen whale]]s.

==Description==
Whale sharks possess a broad, flattened head with a large mouth and two small eyes located at the front corners.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":9" /> Unlike many other sharks, whale shark mouths are located at the front of the head rather than on the underside of the head.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=47|title=Whale Sharks, Rhincodon typus |website=MarineBio.org|access-date=17 May 2018}}</ref> A {{convert|12.1|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} whale shark was reported to have a mouth {{convert|1.55|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} across.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kaikini |first1=A. S. |last2=Ramamohana Rao |first2=V. |last3=Dhulkhed |first3=M. H. |date=1959 |title=A note on the whale shark Rhincodon typus Smith, stranded off Mangalore |url=https://core.ac.uk/display/33012000 |journal=Central Marine Fisheries Research Unit, Mangalore.}}</ref> Whale shark mouths can contain over 300 rows of tiny teeth and 20 filter pads which it uses to [[Biology:Filter feeder|filter feed]].<ref name="FAO">{{cite web |last=Compagno |first=L. J. V. |title=Species Fact Sheet, ''Rhincodon typus'' |url=http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2801/en |access-date=19 September 2006 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}}</ref> The spiracles are located just behind the eyes. Whale sharks have five large pairs of [[Biology:Gill|gill]]s. Their skin is dark grey with a white belly marked with an arrangement of pale grey or white spots and stripes that is unique to each individual. The skin can be up to {{convert|15|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} thick and is very hard and rough to the touch. The whale shark has three prominent ridges along its sides, which start above and behind the head and end at the caudal peduncle.<ref name=":9">{{Cite book|author=Norman, Brad |title=CITES identification manual|date=2002|publisher=Environment Australia|isbn=0-642-54900-1 |oclc=54364165}}</ref> The shark has two dorsal fins set relatively far back on the body, a pair of pectoral fins, a pair of pelvic fins and a single medial anal fin. The caudal fin has a larger upper lobe than the lower lobe (heterocercal).

Whale sharks have been found to possess dermal denticles on the surface of their eyeballs that are structured differently from their body denticles. The dermal denticles, as well as the whale shark's ability to retract its eyes deep into their sockets, serve to protect the eyes from damage.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tomita|first1=Taketeru|last2=Murakumo|first2=Kiyomi|last3=Komoto|first3=Shinya|last4=Dove |first4=Alistair|last5=Kino|first5=Masakatsu|last6=Miyamoto |first6=Kei|last7=Toda|first7=Minoru|date=2020-06-29|title=Armored eyes of the whale shark|journal=PLOS ONE|volume=15|issue=6|pages=e0235342 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0235342|pmid=32598385|pmc=7323965|bibcode=2020PLoSO..1535342T |issn=1932-6203|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/whale-sharks-have-tiny-teeth-their-eyeballs-180975240/|title=Whale Sharks Have Tiny Teeth on Their Eyeballs|first=Nora |last=McGreevy|website=Smithsonian Magazine}}</ref>

Evidence suggests that whale sharks can recover from major injuries and may be able to regenerate small sections of their fins. Their spot markings have also been shown to reform over a previously wounded area.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Womersley |first1=Freya |last2=Hancock |first2=James |last3=Perry |first3=Cameron T. |last4=Rowat |first4=David |date=February 2021 |title=Wound-healing capabilities of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) and implications for conservation management |journal=Conservation Physiology |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=coaa120 |doi=10.1093/conphys/coaa120 |pmc=7859907 |pmid=33569175}}</ref>

The complete and annotated genome of the whale shark was published in 2017.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Read |first1=Timothy D.|last2=Petit|first2=Robert A.|last3=Joseph|first3=Sandeep J.|last4=Alam|first4=Md. Tauqeer|last5=Weil |first5=M. Ryan|last6=Ahmad|first6=Maida|last7=Bhimani|first7=Ravila|last8=Vuong |first8=Jocelyn S.|last9=Haase|first9=Chad P.|date=December 2017|title=Draft sequencing and assembly of the genome of the world's largest fish, the whale shark: Rhincodon typus Smith 1828|journal=BMC Genomics |volume=18|issue=1|pages=532|doi=10.1186/s12864-017-3926-9|issn=1471-2164|pmc=5513125|pmid=28709399 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

[[Biology:Rhodopsin|Rhodopsin]], the light-sensing pigment in the [[Biology:Rod cell|rod cell]]s of the retina, is normally sensitive to green and used to see in dim light, but in the whale shark (and the bottom-dwelling [[Biology:Cloudy catshark|cloudy catshark]]) two amino acid substitutions make the pigment more sensitive to blue light instead, the light that dominates the deep ocean. One of these mutations also makes rhodopsin vulnerable to higher temperatures. In humans, a similar mutation leads to [[Medicine:Congenital stationary night blindness|congenital stationary night blindness]], as the human body temperature makes the pigment decay.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230329091933.htm|title=How whale shark rhodopsin evolved to see, in the deep blue sea|website=ScienceDaily}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/04/09/national/science-health/whale-sharks-mutation-blindness-humans/|title=Whale sharks see in dark due to mutation behind blindness in humans|date=9 April 2023|website=The Japan Times}}</ref> This pigment becomes unstable in shallow water, where the temperature is higher and the full spectrum of light is present. To protect from this instability, the whale shark deactivates the pigment when in shallow water (as otherwise the pigment would hinder full color vision). In the colder environment at 2,000 meters below the surface where the shark dives, it is activated again.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/43109/20230403/whale-sharks-see-dark-due-genetic-mutation-light-sensing-pigment.htm|title=Whale Sharks Can See in the Dark Due to Genetic Mutation; Light-Sensing Pigment in Retina Works in Dim Environment &#124; Science Times}}</ref> The mutations thus allow the shark to see well at both ends of its great vertical range.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Yamaguchi |first1=Kazuaki |last2=Koyanagi |first2=Mitsumasa |last3=Sato |first3=Keiichi |last4=Terakita |first4=Akihisa |last5=Kuraku |first5=Shigehiro |date=2023-03-28 |title=Whale shark rhodopsin adapted to deep-sea lifestyle by a substitution associated with human disease |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=120 |issue=13 |pages=e2220728120 |doi=10.1073/pnas.2220728120 |pmid=36943890 |issn=0027-8424|pmc=10068813 |bibcode=2023PNAS..12020728Y }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Mutation behind night blindness in humans helps whale sharks see in the dark |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/mutation-behind-night-blindness-humans-helps-whale-sharks-see-dark |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=www.science.org |language=en}}</ref> The eyes have also lost all [[Biology:Cone cell|cone]] [[Biology:Opsin|opsin]]s except LWS.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.10.01.462724v1|title=Whale shark rhodopsin adapted to its vertically wide-ranging lifestyle|first1=Kazuaki|last1=Yamaguchi|first2=Mitsumasa|last2=Koyanagi|first3=Keiichi|last3=Sato|first4=Akihisa|last4=Terakita|first5=Shigehiro|last5=Kuraku|date=1 October 2021|pages=2021.10.01.462724|via=bioRxiv|doi=10.1101/2021.10.01.462724|s2cid=238261190 }}</ref>

=== Size ===
The whale shark is the largest non-cetacean animal in the world. Evidence suggests that whale sharks exhibit [[Biology:Sexual dimorphism|sexual dimorphism]] with regards to size, with females growing larger than males. A 2020 study looked at the growth of whale shark individuals over a 10-year period. It concluded that males on average reach {{convert|8|to|9|m|ft|sp=us|abbr=}} in length. The same study predicted females to reach a length of around {{convert|14.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} on average, based on more limited data. However, these are averages and do not represent the maximum possible sizes.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal|last1=Meekan|first1=Mark G.|last2=Taylor|first2=Brett M.|last3=Lester|first3=Emily|last4=Ferreira|first4=Luciana C.|last5=Sequeira|first5=Ana M. M.|last6=Dove|first6=Alistair D. M.|last7=Birt|first7=Matthew J.|last8=Aspinall|first8=Alex|last9=Brooks|first9=Kim|last10=Thums|first10=Michele|date=2020|title=Asymptotic Growth of Whale Sharks Suggests Sex-Specific Life-History Strategies|journal=Frontiers in Marine Science|language=en|volume=7|doi=10.3389/fmars.2020.575683|s2cid=221712078|issn=2296-7745|doi-access=free}}</ref> Previous studies estimating the growth and longevity of whale sharks have produced estimates ranging from {{convert|14|to|21.9|m|ft|sp=us|abbr=}} in length.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":8" /><ref name="ong" /> Limited evidence, mostly from males, suggests that [[Biology:Sexual maturity|sexual maturity]] occurs around {{convert|8|to|9|m|ft|sp=us|abbr=}} in length, with females possibly maturing at a similar size or larger.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Colman|first=J. G.|date=1997|title=A review of the biology and ecology of the whale shark|journal=Journal of Fish Biology|language=en|volume=51|issue=6|pages=1219–1234|doi=10.1111/j.1095-8649.1997.tb01138.x|pmid=29991171|issn=1095-8649}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last=Stevens|first=J. D.|date=2007-03-01|title=Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) biology and ecology: A review of the primary literature|journal=Fisheries Research|series=Whale Sharks: Science, Conservation and Management|volume=84|issue=1|pages=4–9|doi=10.1016/j.fishres.2006.11.008|issn=0165-7836}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Rowat|first1=D.|last2=Brooks|first2=K. S.|date=2012|title=A review of the biology, fisheries and conservation of the whale shark Rhincodon typus|journal=Journal of Fish Biology|language=en|volume=80|issue=5|pages=1019–1056|doi=10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03252.x|issn=1095-8649|pmid=22497372|s2cid=7243391}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Norman|first1=Bradley M.|last2=Stevens|first2=John D.|date=2007-03-01|title=Size and maturity status of the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) at Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165783606004036|journal=Fisheries Research|series=Whale Sharks: Science, Conservation and Management|language=en|volume=84|issue=1|pages=81–86|doi=10.1016/j.fishres.2006.11.015|issn=0165-7836}}</ref> The maximum length of the species is uncertain due to a lack of detailed documentation of the largest reported individuals. Several whale sharks around {{convert|18|m|ft|abbr=on}} in length have been reported.<ref name=":1" />

Large whale sharks are difficult to measure accurately, both on the land and in the water. When on land, the total length measurement can be affected by how the tail is positioned, either angled as it would be in life or stretched as far as possible. Historically, techniques such as comparisons to objects of known size and knotted ropes have been used for in-water measurements, but these techniques may be inaccurate.<ref name=":0" /> In 2011, laser [[Earth:Photogrammetry|photogrammetry]] was proposed to improve the accuracy of in-water measurements.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":16">{{Cite journal|last1=Rohner|first1=C. A.|last2=Richardson|first2=A. J.|last3=Marshall |first3=A. D.|last4=Weeks|first4=S. J. |last5=Pierce|first5=S. J.|date=2011|title=How large is the world's largest fish? Measuring whale sharks Rhincodon typus with laser photogrammetry|journal=Journal of Fish Biology|language=en|volume=78|issue=1|pages=378–385 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8649.2010.02861.x|pmid=21235570 |s2cid=6882935|doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Reports of large individuals ===
Since the 1800s, there have been accounts of very large whale sharks. Some of these are as follows:

In 1868, the Irish natural scientist Edward Perceval Wright obtained several small whale shark specimens in the Seychelles. Wright was informed of one whale shark that was measured as exceeding {{convert|45|ft|m|abbr=on}}. Wright claimed to have observed specimens over {{convert|50|ft|m|abbr=on}} and was told of specimens upwards of {{convert|70|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Six months at the Seychelles: letter to A. Searle Hart, LL. D., S.F.T.C.D.|author=Wright, E. Perceval |date=2011|publisher=British Library, Historical Print Editions|isbn=9781241491611|oclc=835888086}}</ref>

Hugh M. Smith described a huge animal caught in a bamboo fish trap in Thailand in 1919. The shark was too heavy to pull ashore, and no measurements were taken. Smith learned through independent sources that it was at least 10 [[Wa (unit)|wa]] (a Thai unit of length measuring between a person's outstretched arms). Smith noted that one wa could be interpreted as either {{Convert|2|m|ft|abbr=on}} or the approximate average of {{Convert|1.7|to(-)|1.8|m|ft|abbr=on}}, based on the local fishermen.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Smith|first=H. M.|date=1925-11-13|journal=Science|volume=62|issue=1611|pages=438 |doi=10.1126/science.62.1611.438|pmid=17732228|issn=0036-8075|title=A Whale Shark (Rhineodon) in the Gulf of Siam|bibcode=1925Sci....62..438S}}</ref> Later sources have stated this whale shark as approximately {{convert|18|m|ft|abbr=on}}, but the accuracy of the estimate has been questioned.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" />

In 1934, a ship named the ''Maunganui'' came across a whale shark in the southern Pacific Ocean and rammed it. The shark became stuck on the prow of the ship, supposedly with {{convert|15|ft|m|abbr=on}} on one side and {{convert|40|ft|m|abbr=on|1}} on the other, suggesting a total length of about {{convert|55|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gudger|first=E. W.|date=1938|title=Whale Sharks Rammed by Ocean Vessels: How These Sluggish Leviathans Aid in Their Own Destruction|journal=New England Naturalist |publisher=Boston Society of Natural History|location=New England Museum of Natural History|volume=1-15 |oclc=1759776}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=FgFFAAAAYAAJ}}|title=The Jaws of Death: Shark as Predator, Man as Prey|last=Maniguet|first=Xavier|date=1992|publisher=HarperCollins Publishers Limited|isbn=978-0-00-219960-5}}</ref>

Scott A. Eckert & Brent S. Stewart reported on [[Biology:Animal migration tracking|satellite tracking]] of whale sharks from between 1994 and 1996. Out of the 15 individuals tracked, two females were reported as measuring {{convert|15|m|ft|abbr=on}} and {{convert|18|m|ft|abbr=on}} respectively.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Eckert|first1=Scott A.|last2=Stewart|first2=Brent S.|s2cid=22173382|date=2001-02-01|title=Telemetry and Satellite Tracking of Whale Sharks, Rhincodon Typus, in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico, and the North Pacific Ocean|journal=Environmental Biology of Fishes|language=en|volume=60|issue=1|pages=299–308|doi=10.1023/A:1007674716437|issn=1573-5133}}</ref> A {{convert|20.75|m|ft|abbr=on}} long whale shark was reported as being stranded along the Ratnagiri coast in 1995.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Katkar |first=B.N.|date=1996|title=Turtles and whale shark landed along ratnagiri coast, maharashtra |url=https://core.ac.uk/reader/33018228|journal=Marine Fisheries Information Service|volume=141 |pages=20}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last1=Venkatesan|first1=V|last2=Ramamurthy|first2=N|last3=Boominathan |first3=N|last4=Gandhi|first4=A|date=2008|title=Stranding of a whale shark, Rhincodon typus (smith) at Pamban, Gulf of Mannar|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/33014069.pdf|journal=Marine Fisheries Information Service|volume=198 |pages=19–22}}</ref> A female individual with a [[Biology:Fish measurement|standard length]] of {{convert|15|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} and an estimated total length at {{convert|18.8|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} was reported from the Arabian Sea in 2001.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Borrell|first1=Asunción|last2=Aguilar|first2=Alex|last3=Gazo|first3=Manel|last4=Kumarran|first4=R. P. |last5=Cardona|first5=Luis|s2cid=37683420|date=2011|title=Stable isotope profiles in whale shark (Rhincodon typus) suggest segregation and dissimilarities in the diet depending on sex and size|journal=Environmental Biology of Fishes|volume=92|issue=4|pages=559–567|doi=10.1007/s10641-011-9879-y |issn=0378-1909}}</ref> In a 2015 study looking into the size of marine [[Biology:Megafauna|megafauna]], McClain and colleagues considered this female as being the most reliable and accurately measured.<ref name=":1" />

On 7 February 2012, a large whale shark was found floating {{convert|150|km|mi}} off the coast of [[Place:Karachi|Karachi]], Pakistan. The length of the specimen was said to be between {{convert|11|and|12|m|ft|abbr=on}}, with a weight of around {{convert|15000|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hasan |first=Saad |title=Experts to cut up 40.1-foot long whale shark today |work=The Express Tribune |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/334260/experts-to-cut-up-40-1-foot-long-whale-shark-today/ |date=10 February 2012}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Rhincodon typus jaws.jpg|Jaws
File:Rhincodon typus teeth.jpg|Teeth
File:Oeil et spiracle requin-baleine.JPG|Eye
File:Journal.pone.0235342.g001--B-Crop-Extract.jpg| Close up showing eyeball denticles 
File:Walhai 3.jpg|Top of head
</gallery>

==Distribution and habitat==
The whale shark inhabits all tropical and warm-temperate seas. The fish is primarily pelagic, and can be found in both coastal and oceanic habitats.<ref name=IUCN>{{cite journal |title=Whale Shark |journal=IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |date=18 March 2016 |url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19488/2365291 |publisher=IUCN |access-date=28 November 2020|last1=Pierce |first1=S.J. |last2=Norman |first2=Brad}}</ref> Tracking devices have shown that the whale shark displays dynamic patterns of habitat utilization, likely in response to availability of prey. Whale sharks observed off the northeast Yucatan Peninsula tend to engage in inshore surface swimming between sunrise and mid-afternoon, followed by regular vertical oscillations in oceanic waters during the afternoon and overnight. About 95% of the oscillating period was spent in epipelagic depths (<{{convert|200|m|ft}}), but whale sharks also took regular deep dives (>{{convert|500|m|ft}}), often descending in brief "stutter steps", perhaps for foraging. The deepest recorded dive was {{convert|1,928|m|ft}}, making the whale shark the deepest diving fish to be recorded. Whale sharks were also observed to remain continuously at depths of greater than {{convert|50|m|ft}} for three days or more.<ref name="Pain">{{cite journal |last1=Pain |first1=Stephanie |title=Call of the deep |journal=Knowable Magazine |publisher= Annual Reviews |date=31 May 2022 |doi=10.1146/knowable-052622-3 |doi-access=free |url=https://knowablemagazine.org/article/living-world/2022/deep-diving-animals-ocean-twilight-zone |access-date=6 June 2022}}</ref><ref name="PLOS">{{cite news |author=Public Library of Science |title=Whale sharks in Gulf of Mexico swim near the surface, take deep dives |url=https://phys.org/news/2015-11-whale-sharks-gulf-mexico-surface.html |access-date=6 June 2022 |work=phys.org |date=November 18, 2015 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first1=Brian C.|last1=Howard |date=28 June 2016 |title=Whale Sharks Move in Mysterious Ways: Watch Them Online |publisher=National Geographic Society |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/whale-shark-tracker/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160628230747/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/whale-shark-tracker/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 June 2016 |access-date=12 August 2016}}</ref>

The whale shark is migratory<ref name="fishbase"/> and has two distinct subpopulations: an Atlantic subpopulation, from Maine and the Azores to Cape Agulhas, South Africa, and an Indo-Pacific subpopulation which holds 75% of the entire whale shark population. It usually roams between 30°N and 35°S where water temperatures are higher than {{convert|21|C|F}} but have been spotted as far north as the Bay of Fundy, Canada and the Sea of Okhotsk north of Japan and as far south as Victoria, Australia.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" />

Seasonal feeding aggregations occur at several coastal sites such as the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, Darwin Island in the Galápagos, Quintana Roo in Mexico, Mafia Island of Pwani Region in Tanzania, [[Place:Inhambane|Inhambane]] province in Mozambique, the {{wipe|Philippines}}, around Mahe in the Seychelles,<ref name=IUCN /> the Gujarat<ref name=IUCN /> and Kerala coasts of India,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/campaign-to-conserve-whale-shark-to-be-launched-today/article19584864.ece|title=Drive to conserve whale shark|date=30 August 2017|via=www.thehindu.com|newspaper=The Hindu}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Kaushik |first=Himanshu |date=30 August 2014 |title=Whale sharks found off Gujarat coast no expats, they are Indian |work=The Times of India |url=http://m.timesofindia.com/Home/Environment/Flora-Fauna/Whale-sharks-found-off-Gujarat-coast-no-expats-they-are-Indian/articleshow/41240407.cms |access-date=12 May 2016}}</ref> Taiwan, southern {{wipe|China}}<ref name=IUCN /> and Qatar.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/middleeast/2020/07/privilege-swimming-endangered-whale-sharks-qatar-200716072449785.html |title='What a privilege': Swimming with endangered whale sharks in Qatar |last=Dekker |first=Stefanie |work=Aljazeera |date=17 July 2020 |access-date=28 July 2020}}</ref>

In 2011, more than 400 whale sharks gathered off the Yucatan Coast. It was one of the largest gatherings of whale sharks recorded.<ref name="de la Parra et al. 2011">{{cite journal |last1=de la Parra Venegas |first1=Rafael |last2=Hueter |first2=Robert |last3=Cano |first3=Jaime González |last4=Tyminski |first4=John |last5=Remolina |first5=José Gregorio |last6=Maslanka |first6=Mike |last7=Ormos |first7=Andrea |last8=Weigt |first8=Lee |last9=Carlson |first9=Bruce |last10=Dove |first10=Alistair |date=29 April 2011 |title=An Unprecedented Aggregation of Whale Sharks, ''Rhincodon typus'', in Mexican Coastal Waters of the Caribbean Sea |journal=PLOS ONE |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0018994 |volume=6 |issue=4 |series=4 |page=e18994|pmid=21559508|pmc=3084747 |bibcode=2011PLoSO...618994D |doi-access=free }}</ref> Aggregations in that area are among the most reliable seasonal gatherings known for whale sharks, with large numbers occurring in most years between May and September. Associated ecotourism has grown rapidly to unsustainable levels.<ref>{{citation |last=Dove |first=Alistair |date=27 January 2015 |url=https://www.future500.org/yucatan-whale-sharks-swimming-troubled-waters |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107015049/https://www.future500.org/yucatan-whale-sharks-swimming-troubled-waters/ |archive-date=2017-11-07 |title=Yucatan Whale Sharks Swimming in Troubled Waters |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Growth and reproduction==
Growth, longevity, and reproduction of the whale shark are poorly understood.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name="ong">{{cite journal|last1=Ong|first1=Joyce J. L.|last2=Meekan|first2=Mark G.|last3=Hsu|first3=Hua Hsun|last4=Fanning|first4=L. Paul|last5=Campana|first5=Steven E.|date=6 April 2020|title=Annual Bands in Vertebrae Validated by Bomb Radiocarbon Assays Provide Estimates of Age and Growth of Whale Sharks|journal=Frontiers in Marine Science|volume=7|doi=10.3389/fmars.2020.00188|doi-access=free|hdl=20.500.11815/2381|hdl-access=free}}</ref> There was uncertainty as to whether vertebrae growth bands are formed annually or biannually, which is important in determining the age, growth, and longevity of whale sharks.<ref name=":8">{{Cite journal|last=Wintner|first=Sabine P.|s2cid=20461057|date=2000|title=Preliminary Study of Vertebral Growth Rings in the Whale Shark, Rhincodon typus, from the East Coast of South Africa|journal=Environmental Biology of Fishes|volume=59|issue=4|pages=441–451|doi=10.1023/A:1026564707027}}</ref><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> A 2020 study compared the ratio of [[Physics:Carbon-14|Carbon-14]] isotopes found in growth bands of whale shark vertebrae to nuclear testing events in the 1950-60s, finding that growth bands are laid down annually. The study found an age of 50 years for a {{convert|10|m|ft|abbr=on}} female and 35 years for a 9.9m male.<ref name="ong" /> Various studies looking at vertebrae growth bands and measuring whale sharks in the wild have estimated their lifespans from ~80 years and up to ~130 years.<ref name=":4" /><ref name="fishbase" /><ref name=":5" />

Evidence suggests that males grow faster than females in the earlier stages of life but ultimately reach a smaller maximum size.<ref name=":7" /> Whale sharks exhibit late sexual maturity.<ref name="ong" /> One study looking at free-swimming whale sharks estimated the age at maturity in males at ~25 years.<ref name=":5" />

Pupping of whale sharks has not been observed, but mating has been witnessed twice in St Helena.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Clingham |first1=Elizabeth |last2=Brown |first2=Judith |last3=Henry |first3=Leeann |last4=Beard |first4=Annalea |last5=Dove |first5=Alistair D |title=Evidence that St. Helena island is an important multi-use habitat for whale sharks, Rhincodon typus , with the first description of putative mating in this species |date=2016 |url=https://peerj.com/preprints/1885|oclc=8162956757|doi=10.7287/peerj.preprints.1885v1 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Mating in this species was filmed for the first time in whale sharks off Ningaloo Reef via airplane in Australia in 2019, when a larger male unsuccessfully attempted to mate with a smaller, immature female.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.livescience.com/65781-attempted-whale-shark-mating-world-first.html |title=Attempted Whale Shark Mating Caught on Camera for the First Time in History|website=livescience.com|date=24 June 2019}}</ref>

The capture of a ~{{convert|10.6|m|ft|abbr=on}} female in July 1996 that was pregnant with ~300 pups indicated that whale sharks are ovoviviparous.<ref name="fishbase" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Joung |first1=Shoou-Jeng |s2cid=22250254 |display-authors=0 |date=July 1996 |title=The whale shark, ''Rhincodon typus'', is a livebearer: 300 embryos found in one 'megamamma' supreme |journal=Environ. Biol. Fish. |doi=10.1007/BF00004997 |volume=46 |issue=3 |pages=219–223 }}</ref><ref name="sharklady">{{cite web |last1=Clark |first1=Eugenie |title=Frequently Asked Questions |url=http://www.sharklady.com/faq.html#A12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010305073855/http://www.sharklady.com/faq.html#A12 |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 March 2001 |access-date=26 September 2006 |publisher=Sharklady }}</ref> The eggs remain in the body and the females give birth to live young which are {{convert|40|to|60|cm|abbr=on}} long. Evidence indicates the pups are not all born at once, but rather the female retains sperm from one mating and produces a steady stream of pups over a prolonged period.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schmidt |first1=Jennifer V. |last2=Chen |first2=Chien-Chi |last3=Sheikh |first3=Saad I. |last4=Meekan |first4=Mark G. |last5=Norman |first5=Bradley M. |last6=Joung |first6=Shoou-Jeng |date=4 August 2010 |title=Paternity analysis in a litter of whale shark embryos |journal=Endangered Species Research |doi=10.3354/esr00300 |volume=12 |number=2 |pages=117–124|doi-access=free }}</ref>

On 7 March 2009, marine scientists in the Philippines discovered what is believed to be the smallest living specimen of the whale shark. The young shark, measuring only {{convert|38|cm|in|abbr=on}}, was found with its tail tied to a stake at a beach in Pilar, Sorsogon, Philippines, and was released into the wild. Based on this discovery, some scientists no longer believe this area is just a feeding ground; this site may be a birthing ground, as well. Both young whale sharks and pregnant females have been seen in the waters of St Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, where numerous whale sharks can be spotted during the summer.<ref name="Shark pup">{{cite web|title=Tiny whale shark rescued – World news – World environment |work=Associated Press via NBC News|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/29615174/ns/world_news-world_environment/t/rescued-baby-whale-shark-may-help-species/#.W3ocmLh9iUk |date=2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=14 November 2013 |title=St Helena whale sharks cause stir in Atlanta |publisher=South Atlantic Media Services |url=http://www.sams.sh/L3_news_131114_sthelena-whale-sharks-cause-stir-in-Atlanta-Georgia-USA-Elizabeth-clingham.html |access-date=12 May 2016 |archive-date=18 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518235242/http://sams.sh/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In a report from Rappler last August 2019, whale sharks were sighted during [[Organization:World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF]] {{wipe|Philippines}}' photo identification activities in the first half of the year. There were a total 168 sightings – 64 of them “re-sightings” or reappearances of previously recorded whale sharks. WWF noted that “very young whale shark juveniles" were identified among the 168 individuals spotted in the first half of 2019. Their presence suggests that the Ticao Pass may be a pupping ground for whale sharks, further increasing the ecological significance of the area.<ref>{{cite news |title='Largest number in years': Over 100 new whale sharks spotted in Donsol |url=https://www.rappler.com/science-nature/environment/238898-increase-sighting-whale-sharks-donsol-sorsogon |access-date=4 March 2020 |publisher=Rappler.com |date=August 30, 2019}}</ref>

==Diet==
[[File:Whale Shark 1 AdF.jpg|thumb|Whale shark [[Biology:Filter feeder|filtering]] plankton in Maldives]]
[[File:Whale6.jpg|thumb|left|A whale shark in the Philippines with [[Biology:Remora|remora]]s]]
[[File:Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) with open mouth in La Paz, Mexico.jpg|left|thumb|Whale shark with open mouth feeding in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico]]
The whale shark is a [[Biology:Filter feeder|filter feeder]] – one of only three known filter-feeding shark species (along with the [[Biology:Basking shark|basking shark]] and the [[Biology:Megamouth shark|megamouth shark]]). It feeds on [[Earth:Plankton|plankton]] including copepods, [[Biology:Krill|krill]], fish eggs, [[Biology:Christmas Island red crab|Christmas Island red crab]] larvae<ref name="Shark-cam captures ocean motion">{{cite news |last=Morelle |first=Rebecca |date=17 November 2008 |title=Shark-cam captures ocean motion |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7727136.stm |access-date=30 July 2009}}</ref> and small [[Earth:Nekton|nekton]]ic life, such as small [[Biology:Squid|squid]] or [[Biology:Fish|fish]]. It also feeds on clouds of eggs during mass spawning of fish and corals.<ref name=JurassicShark/> The many rows of vestigial teeth play no role in feeding. Feeding occurs either by ram filtration, in which the animal opens its mouth and swims forward, pushing water and food into the mouth, or by active suction feeding, in which the animal opens and closes its mouth, sucking in volumes of water that are then expelled through the gills. In both cases, the filter pads serve to separate food from water. These unique, black sieve-like structures are presumed to be modified [[Biology:Gill raker|gill raker]]s. Food separation in whale sharks is by [[Engineering:Cross-flow filtration|cross-flow filtration]], in which the water travels nearly parallel to the filter pad surface, not perpendicularly through it, before passing to the outside, while denser food particles continue to the back of the throat.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Motta |first1=Philip J. |display-authors=0 |date=2010 |title=Feeding anatomy, filter-feeding rate, and diet of whale sharks ''Rhincodon typus'' during surface ram filter feeding off the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico |journal=Zoology |doi=10.1016/j.zool.2009.12.001 |pmid=20817493 |volume=113 |issue=4 |pages=199–212 |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/pdfs/Sharkfeedingpaper.pdf?noredirect=on |format=PDF}}</ref> This is an extremely efficient filtration method that minimizes fouling of the filter pad surface. Whale sharks have been observed "coughing", presumably to clear a build-up of particles from the filter pads. Whale sharks migrate to feed and possibly to breed.<ref name="fishbase"/><ref name="RQBM">{{cite web |last=Martin |first=R. Aidan |title=Elasmo Research |publisher=ReefQuest |url=http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/topics/d_filter_feeding.htm |access-date=17 September 2006}}</ref><ref name="FLMNH">{{cite web |title=Whale shark |publisher=Ichthyology at the Florida Museum of Natural History |url=http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/Whaleshark/whaleshark.html |access-date=17 September 2006 |date=11 May 2017 |archive-date=5 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060905043610/http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/whaleshark/whaleshark.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The whale shark is an active feeder, targeting concentrations of plankton or fish. It is able to ram filter feed or can gulp in a stationary position. This is in contrast to the passive feeding basking shark, which does not pump water. Instead, it swims to force water across its gills.<ref name="fishbase"/><ref name="RQBM" />

A juvenile whale shark is estimated to eat 21&nbsp;kg (46 pounds) of plankton per day.<ref>{{cite web |last=Schmidt |first=Jennifer V. |date=4 December 2010 |title=Whale Sharks are BIG eaters! |publisher=The Shark Research Institute |url=http://www.sharks.org/blogs/science-blog/whale-sharks-are-big-eaters |access-date=24 April 2016 |archive-date=5 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505211032/https://www.sharks.org/blogs/science-blog/whale-sharks-are-big-eaters |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The BBC program ''Planet Earth'' filmed a whale shark feeding on a school of small fish. The same documentary showed footage of a whale shark timing its arrival to coincide with the mass spawning of fish shoals and feeding on the resultant clouds of eggs and sperm.<ref name=JurassicShark>''Jurassic Shark'' (2000) documentary by Jacinth O'Donnell; broadcast on Discovery Channel, 5 August 2006</ref>

Whale sharks are known to prey on a range of planktonic and small nektonic organisms that are spatiotemporally patchy. These include krill, crab larvae, jellyfish, sardines, anchovies, mackerels, small tunas, and squid. In ram filter feeding, the fish swims forward at constant speed with its mouth fully open, straining prey particles from the water by forward propulsion. This is also called ‘passive feeding’, which usually occurs when prey is present at low density.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Rhincodon_typus/|title=Rhincodon typus (whale shark)|website=Animal Diversity Web|access-date=1 September 2016}}</ref>

Due their mode of feeding, whale sharks are susceptible to the ingestion of [[Earth:Microplastics|microplastics]]. As such, the presence of microplastics in whale shark scat was recently confirmed.<ref name="Yong 2021">{{cite journal |last1=Yong |first1=Mila Mi Hua |last2=Leistenschneider |first2=Clara |last3=Miranda |first3=Joni Anne |last4=Paler |first4=Maria Kristina |last5=Legaspi |first5=Christine |last6=Germanov |first6=Elitza |last7=Araujo |first7=Gonzalo |last8=Burkhardt-Holm |first8=Patricia |last9=Erni-Cassola |first9=Gabriel |title=Microplastics in fecal samples of whale sharks (''Rhincodon typus'') and from surface water in the Philippines |journal=Microplastics and Nanoplastics |date=2021 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=17 |doi=10.1186/s43591-021-00017-9|pmid=34939039 |pmc=8475362 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

{{clear}}

==Relationship with humans==
===Behavior toward divers===
[[File:Whaleshark in Oslob Philippines.png|thumb|left|In Oslob, Philippines, whale sharks are fed shrimp to return every morning for tourists and divers.]]
Despite its size, the whale shark does not pose any danger to humans. Whale sharks are docile fish and sometimes allow swimmers to catch a ride,<ref name=FAO2>{{cite book |last=Compagno |first=Leonard J. V. |date=26 April 2002 |title=Sharks of the World: An Annotated and Illustrated Catalogue of Shark Species Known to Date: Bullhead, Mackerel and Carpet Sharks |publisher=Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) |volume=2 |isbn=978-92-5-104543-5 |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=cxxSN4YA2i8C|page=207}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Favorite Wins of 2013 |website=Break.com |page=1:24 |ref=BM1 |url=http://www.break.com/video/favorite-wins-of-2013-2548459 |access-date=24 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826234416/http://www.break.com/video/favorite-wins-of-2013-2548459 |archive-date=26 August 2014 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>Robbins J. (18 July 2017). [http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/watch-iranian-fisherman-surf-top-whale-shark-across-persian-gulf-1630845 Watch Iranian fisherman 'surf' on top of a whale shark across the Persian Gulf]. International Business Times. Retrieved on 29 September 2017</ref> although this practice is discouraged by shark scientists and conservationists because of the disturbance to the sharks.<ref>Whitehead, Darren Andrew (2014) [http://uhra.herts.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/2299/14655/14094628-%20Whitehead%20Darren%20-%20Final%20MSc%20by%20Research%20submission.pdf?sequence=1 Establishing a quantifiable model of whale shark avoidance behaviours to anthropogenic impacts in tourism encounters to inform management actions], University of Hertfordshire.</ref> Younger whale sharks are gentle and can play with divers. Underwater photographers such as Fiona Ayerst have photographed them swimming close to humans without any danger.<ref name="content.time.com">[http://content.time.com/time/today-in-pictures/0,31511,1914578,00.html Pictures of the Day: Tuesday, Aug. 04, 2009]. ''Time magazine'', "A 40-foot whale shark and a brave snorkeler swim off the South African coast."</ref>

[[File:Whale Shark and Freediver.jpg|thumb|right|Swimming alongside an adult free diver]]
The shark is seen by divers in many places, including the Bay Islands in Honduras, Thailand, Indonesia (Bone Bolango, Cendrawasih Bay), the Philippines, the Maldives close to Maamigili (South Ari Atoll), the Red Sea, Western Australia (Ningaloo Reef, Christmas Island), Taiwan, Panama (Coiba Island), Belize, Tofo Beach in Mozambique, Sodwana Bay (Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park) in South Africa,<ref name="content.time.com"/> the Galapagos Islands, Saint Helena, Isla Mujeres (Caribbean Sea), La Paz, Baja California Sur and Bahía de los Ángeles in Mexico, the Seychelles, West Malaysia, islands off eastern peninsular Malaysia, {{wipe|India}}, Sri Lanka, Oman, Fujairah, Puerto Rico, and other parts of the Caribbean.<ref name=FAO2/> Juveniles can be found near the shore in the Gulf of Tadjoura, near Djibouti, in the [[Place:Horn of Africa|Horn of Africa]].<ref>Hawes, Craig (2 April 2013) [http://gulfnews.com/leisure/travel/destinations/snorkelling-with-whale-sharks-in-djibouti-1.1165717 Snorkelling with whale sharks in Djibouti]. gulfnews.com</ref>

===Conservation status===
There is currently no robust estimate of the global whale shark population. The species is considered [[Biology:Endangered species|endangered]] by the IUCN due to the impacts of fisheries, by-catch losses, and vessel strikes,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Womersley |first1=Freya C. |display-authors=0 |date=2022|title= Global collision-risk hotspots of marine traffic and the world's largest fish, the whale shark |journal= Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |doi=10.1073/pnas.2117440119|pmid=35533277 |volume=119 |issue=20 |pages=e2117440119 |pmc=9171791 |bibcode=2022PNAS..11917440W |hdl=10754/676739 }}</ref> combined with its long lifespan and late maturation.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> In June 2018 the New Zealand Department of Conservation classified the whale shark as "Migrant" with the qualifier "Secure Overseas" under the [[Biology:New Zealand Threat Classification System|New Zealand Threat Classification System]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/nztcs23entire.pdf|title=Conservation status of New Zealand chondrichthyans (chimaeras, sharks and rays), 2016|last1=Duffy|first1=Clinton A. J. |last2=Francis|first2=Malcolm|last3=Dunn|first3=M. R.|last4=Finucci|first4=Brit|last5=Ford|first5=Richard|last6=Hitchmough|first6=Rod|last7=Rolfe|first7=Jeremy|publisher=Department of Conservation|year=2018|isbn=9781988514628 |location=Wellington, New Zealand|pages=11|oclc=1042901090}}</ref>

It is listed, along with six other species of sharks, under the CMS Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks.<ref>{{cite web |title=Memorandum of understanding on the conservation of migratory sharks |publisher=Convention on migratory species |page=10 |url=http://www.cms.int/species/sharks/MoU/Migratory_Shark_MoU_Eng.pdf |access-date=13 February 2012}}</ref> In 1998, the Philippines banned all fishing, selling, importing, and exporting of whale sharks for commercial purposes,<ref>[http://hayop.0catch.com/1998-ws.htm Whale Sharks Receive Protection in the Philippines] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216145805/http://hayop.0catch.com/1998-ws.htm |date=16 February 2020 }}. hayop.0catch.com. 27 March 1998</ref> followed by India in May 2001<ref>[http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/recovery/r-typus-issues/legal-status.html National Regulations on Whale Shark fishing]. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.</ref> and Taiwan in May 2007.<ref>[http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/05/27/2003362648 COA bans fishing for whale sharks]. Taipei Times, 27 May 2007, p. 4.</ref>

In 2010, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill resulted in {{convert|4900000|oilbbl}} of oil flowing into an area south of the Mississippi River Delta, where one-third of all whale shark sightings in the northern part of the gulf have occurred in recent years. Sightings confirmed that the whale sharks were unable to avoid the oil slick, which was situated on the surface of the sea where the whale sharks feed for several hours at a time. No dead whale sharks were found.<ref>Handwerk, Brian (24 September 2010) [https://web.archive.org/web/20100926104606/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/100924-whale-sharks-gulf-oil-spill-science-environment/ Whale Sharks Killed, Displaced by Gulf Oil?] National Geographic News.</ref>

This species was also added to Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ([[Biology:CITES|CITES]]) in 2003 to regulate the international trade of live specimens and its parts.<ref>[http://www.cites.org/eng/gallery/species/fish/whale_shark.html Whale shark]. cites.org</ref>

Hundreds of whale sharks are illegally killed every year in China for their fins, skins, and oil.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-05/an-hundreds-of-sharks-killed-annually-in-illegal-trade-in-china/5239568 | title=Hundreds of sharks killed in China| newspaper=ABC News| date=5 February 2014| last1=Hilton/Greenpeace| first1=Paul}}</ref>

===In captivity===
[[File:Male whale shark at Georgia Aquarium.jpg|thumb|right|A whale shark in the Georgia Aquarium|alt=Aquarium photograph of a whale shark in profile with human-shaped shadows in foreground]]

The whale shark is popular in the few public aquariums that keep it, but its large size means that a very large tank is required and it has specialized feeding requirements.<ref name=Matsumoto2017>{{cite book |last1=Matsumoto |last2=Toda |last3=Matsumoto |last4=Ueda |last5=Nakazato |last6=Sato |last7=Uchida |editor1-last=Smith |editor1-first=Mark |editor2-last=Warmolts |editor3-last=Thoney |editor4-last=Hueter |editor5-last=Murray |editor6-last=Ezcurra |title=The Elasmobranch Husbandry Manual II|date=2017 |publisher=Ohio Biological Survey |isbn=9780867271676 |oclc=1001957014 |language=en |chapter=Notes on Husbandry of Whale Sharks, Rhincodon typus, in Aquaria|pages=15–22}}</ref> Their large size and iconic status have also fueled an opposition to keeping the species in captivity, especially after the early death of some whale sharks in captivity and certain Chinese aquariums keeping the species in relatively small tanks.<ref>{{cite news| title=Whale Shark's Death Sparks Debate | url=http://www.wsbtv.com/news/13500648/detail.html | publisher=wsbtv | date=30 November 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325075019/http://www.wsbtv.com/news/13500648/detail.html | archive-date=25 March 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Moore2011>{{cite news| author=Moore, M. | title=Conservationists round on Chinese whale shark aquarium | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/wildlife/8848298/Conservationists-round-on-Chinese-whale-shark-aquarium.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/wildlife/8848298/Conservationists-round-on-Chinese-whale-shark-aquarium.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | publisher=The Telegraph | date=25 October 2010 | access-date=8 November 2017 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>
[[File:Okinawa Aquarium.jpg|thumb|left|Whale sharks at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Japan]]

The first attempt at keeping whale sharks in captivity was in 1934 when an individual was kept for about four months in a netted-off natural bay in Izu, Japan.<ref name=Mollet2012>{{cite web | author=Mollet, H. | date=September 2012 | title=Whale Shark Rhincodon typus Smith, 1828 in Captivity | url=http://elasmollet.org/Rt/Rt_captive.html | access-date=8 November 2017 }}</ref> The first attempt of keeping whale sharks in an aquarium was initiated in 1980 by the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium (then known as Okinawa Ocean Expo Aquarium) in Japan.<ref name=Matsumoto2017/> Since 1980, several have been kept at Okinawa, mostly obtained from incidental catches in coastal nets set by fishers (none after 2009), but two were strandings. Several of these were already weak from the capture/stranding and some were released,<ref name=Matsumoto2017/> but initial captive survival rates were low.<ref name=Moore2011/> After the initial difficulties in maintaining the species had been resolved, some have survived long-term in captivity.<ref name=Matsumoto2017/> The record for a whale shark in captivity is an individual that, as of 2021, has lived for more than 26 years in the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium from Okinawa Ocean Expo Aquarium.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://churaumi.okinawa/userfiles/files/about/research/r2_nepou.pdf |title=令和二年度 沖縄美ら海水族館 年報|publisher=Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium|access-date=2021-05-28}}</ref><ref name=Matsumoto2017/> Following Okinawa, Osaka Aquarium started keeping whale sharks and most of the basic research on the keeping of the species was made at these two institutions.<ref name=Schreiber2017>{{cite book |last1=Schreiber|first1=C |last2=Coco|first2=C |editor1-last=Smith |editor1-first=Mark |editor2-last=Warmolts |editor3-last=Thoney |editor4-last=Hueter |editor5-last=Murray |editor6-last=Ezcurra |title=The Elasmobranch Husbandry Manual II|date=2017 |publisher=Ohio Biological Survey |isbn=9780867271676 |oclc=1001957014 |language=en |chapter=Husbandry of Whale Sharks |pages=87–98}}</ref>

Since the mid-1990s, several other aquariums have kept the species in Japan (Kagoshima Aquarium, Kinosaki Marine World, Notojima Aquarium, Oita Ecological Aquarium, and Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise), South Korea (Aqua Planet Jeju), China (Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, Dalian Aquarium, Guangzhou Aquarium in Guangzhou Zoo, Qingdao Polar Ocean World and Yantai Aquarium), Taiwan (National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium), India (Thiruvananthapuram Aquarium) and Dubai (Atlantis, The Palm), with some maintaining whale sharks for years and others only for a very short period.<ref name=Mollet2012/> The whale shark kept at Dubai's Atlantis, The Palm was rescued from shallow waters in 2008 with extensive abrasions to the fins and after rehabilitation it was released in 2010, having lived 19 months in captivity.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=20 March 2010 |title=Dubai hotel releases whale shark back into the wild |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/hotels/2010-03-20-dubai-whale-shark-release_N.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807010950/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/hotels/2010-03-20-dubai-whale-shark-release_N.htm |archive-date=7 August 2015}}</ref><ref name=Bennett2017>{{cite book |last1=Bennett |last2=Kaiser |last3=Selvan |last4=Hueter |last5=Tyminski |last6=Lötter|editor1-last=Smith |editor1-first=Mark |editor2-last=Warmolts |editor3-last=Thoney |editor4-last=Hueter |editor5-last=Murray |editor6-last=Ezcurra |title=The Elasmobranch Husbandry Manual II|date=2017 |publisher=Ohio Biological Survey |isbn=9780867271676 |oclc=1001957014 |language=en |chapter=Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release of a Whale Shark, Rhincodon typus, in the Arabian Gulf |pages=229–235}}</ref> Marine Life Park in Singapore had planned on keeping whale sharks but scrapped this idea in 2009.<ref>{{cite news| author=Chua, G. | title=No whale sharks at Sentosa IR | url=http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.dk/2009/05/no-whale-sharks-at-sentosa-ir.html#.WgNR_JDcCf0 | publisher=Wild Singapore News | date=16 May 2009 | access-date=8 November 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |agency=AsianOne Travel |date=16 May 2009 |title=Resorts World considering alternatives to whale shark exhibit |url=http://www.asiaone.com/Travel/News/Story/A1Story20090516-141880.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609102739/http://www.asiaone.com/Travel/News/Story/A1Story20090516-141880.html |archive-date=9 June 2013}}</ref>

Outside Asia, the first and so far only place to keep whale sharks is Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, United States.<ref name=Mollet2012/> This is unusual because of the comparatively long transport time and complex logistics required to bring the sharks to the aquarium, ranging between 28 and 36 hours.<ref name=Schreiber2017/> Georgia keeps two whale sharks: two males, Taroko and Yushan, who both arrived in 2007.<ref>{{cite news |date=1 June 2007 |title=Aquarium gains two new whale sharks |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/06/01/aquarium.whale.sharks.ap/index.html |access-date=1 June 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070603085148/http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/06/01/aquarium.whale.sharks.ap/index.html |archive-date=3 June 2007}}</ref> Two earlier males at Georgia Aquarium, Ralph and Norton, both died in 2007.<ref name=Moore2011/> Trixie died in 2020. Alice died in 2021. Georgia's whale sharks were all imported from Taiwan and were taken from the commercial fishing quota for the species, usually used locally for food.<ref name=Schreiber2017/><ref name=Sundquist2013>{{cite news| author=Sundquist, T. | title=Transporting the World's Largest Fish: A Whale [Shark] of a Task | url=https://www.promegaconnections.com/transporting-the-worlds-largest-fish-a-whale-shark-of-a-task/ | publisher=Promega Connections | date=18 September 2013 | access-date=8 November 2017 }}</ref> Taiwan closed this fishery entirely in 2008.<ref name=Sundquist2013/>

===Human culture===
[[File:Nadando con un Tiburón Ballena- Swimming with a Whale Shark.ogv|thumb|Snorkeling with whale shark near Isla Mujeres (Mexico) 30 August 2011]]
In {{wipe|Madagascar}}, whale sharks are called {{lang|mg|marokintana}} in Malagasy, meaning "many stars", after the appearance of the markings on the shark's back.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Madagascar emerges as whale shark hotspot |journal=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-44151782 |access-date=12 September 2018|date=17 May 2018 |last1=Briggs |first1=Helen }}</ref>

In the Philippines, it is called {{lang|fil|butanding}} and {{lang|fil|balilan}}.<ref>[http://www.oneocean.org/ambassadors/sharks/index.html Ocean Ambassadors – Sharks]. Oneocean.org. Retrieved 23 May 2013.</ref> The whale shark is featured on the reverse of the Philippine 100-peso bill. By law snorkelers must maintain a distance of {{cvt|4|ft}} from the sharks and there is a fine and possible prison sentence for anyone who touches the animals.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cannon |first=Marisa |date=21 July 2015 |title=Swimming with whale sharks in the Philippines |website=cnn.com |publisher=CNN |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/05/travel/whale-shark-oslob/index.html |access-date=16 August 2015}}</ref>

Whale sharks are also known as {{transliteration|ja|jinbei-zame}} in {{wipe|Japan}} (because the markings resemble patterns typically seen on {{transliteration|ja|jinbei}}); {{lang|id|gurano bintang}} in Indonesia; and {{lang|vi|ca ong}} (literally "sir fish") in Vietnam.<ref>{{cite web |title=Whale Shark |publisher=Discovery.com |url=http://dsc.discovery.com/sharks/whale-shark.html |access-date=3 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304012722/http://dsc.discovery.com/sharks/whale-shark.html |archive-date=4 March 2009|date=5 September 2013 }}</ref>

The whale shark is also featured on the latest 2015–2017 edition of the Maldivian 1000 rufiyaa banknote, along with the green turtle.

==See also==
{{For outline|Outline of sharks}}
* List of sharks
* List of threatened sharks

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name="Smith, 1828">{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Andrew |title=Descriptions of New or imperfectly known Objects of the Animal Kingdom, found in the South of Africa |work=The South African Commercial Advertiser |volume=3 |number=145 |date=5 November 1828 |via=Center for Research Libraries Document Delivery System |url-access=subscription |url=https://dds.crl.edu/item/30451}} Reprinted in {{harvtxt|Penrith|1972}}.</ref>
<ref name="Penrith, 1972">{{cite journal|last1=Penrith|first1=M. J.|title=Earliest Description and Name for the Whale Shark|journal=Copeia|date=1972|volume=1972|issue=2|pages=362|jstor=1442501|doi=10.2307/1442501}}</ref>
<ref name="Melville, 1984">{{cite journal|last1=Melville|first1=R. V.|title=Opinion 1278. The Generic Name ''Rhincodon'' A. Smith, 1829 (Pisces): Conserved|journal=The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature|date=1981|volume=41|issue=4|pages=215–217|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/12228798}}</ref>
<ref name="Smith, 1829">{{cite journal|last1=Smith|first1=Andrew|title=Contributions to the Natural History of South Africa, &c|journal=The Zoological Journal|date=1829|volume=4|pages=443–444|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2310852}}</ref>

}}

== Further reading ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite journal |author=Colman, J.G. |title=A review of the biology and ecology of the whale shark |journal=J. Fish Biol. |volume=51 |issue=6 |pages=1219–34 |date=December 1997 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8649.1997.tb01138.x|pmid=29991171 }}
* [http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2801/en FAO web page on Whale shark]
* {{Cite web |title=Whale Sharks, Whale Shark Pictures, Whale Shark Facts |work=Animals, Animal Pictures, Wild Animal Facts |url=http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/whale-shark/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116185527/http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/whale-shark|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 January 2010|date=10 September 2010 }}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* [http://www.whaleshark.org/ Whale Shark Photograph-identification Library]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160205050236/http://wsorc.org/ Whale Shark And Oceanic Research Center]
* [http://www.maldiveswhalesharkresearch.org/ Maldives Whale Shark Research Program]
* [http://www.qatarvisitor.com/index.php?cID=430&pID=1616 Whale Sharks: Gentle Giants of the Seas]
* [http://marinemegafauna.org/  Foundation for the Protection of Marine Megafauna]
* [http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Documents/recreational_fishing/fact_sheets/fact_sheet_whale_shark.pdf Whale Shark Fact Sheet, Fisheries Western Australia]
* [http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/albino-whale-shark-photographed-in-ecuador Albino whale shark photographed in Galapagos]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100116185527/http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/whale-shark Photographs National Geographic]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7727136.stm A whale shark recorded defecating]
* {{SealifePhotos|105847}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q80378}}

[[Category:Rhincodontidae| ]]

{{Sourceattribution|Whale shark}}