Whale Shark

The whale shark is the largest fish in the world. It can grow to be 15 m (50 ft) long. A slow-swimming gentle giant, this shark is harmless to humans. It has a dark gray upper body that’s marked with pale yellow spots and vertical stripes. The whale shark has a huge mouth that holds up to three thousand tiny teeth, which it never uses. It feeds by sucking ocean water into its mouth, and then forcing the water through its gill rakers to strain out plankton and tiny fish. Whale sharks are found in tropical and warm ocean waters and tend to lead a solitary life. Interestingly, whale sharks cannot reproduce until 30 years of age.