Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus)

Posted on June 19th, 2026 Last modified on June 19th, 2026 Comments

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News: In recent years, community-driven conservation efforts along India’s west coast have helped reduce bycatch-related deaths of Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus), although several other threats continue to endanger the species.

About Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus)

Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) — Source: I Naturalist

Aspects	Details
About	The Whale shark is a slow-moving, filter-feeding shark. They are the largest shark and the largest fish in the world. They’re also often referred to as ‘gentle giants’ due to their size. They are the most massive living non-cetacean animal.
Scientific name	Their scientific name is Rhincodon typus.
Habitat	They live along coastlines and in open waters, where dense planktonic concentrations can be found.
Distribution	They inhabit all tropical and warm temperate waters of the world, except for the Mediterranean. They are found in various regions such as the Indian Ocean, the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean. In India, whale sharks are found primarily along the western and eastern coastlines. Their highest concentrations and largest known aggregations is off the coast of Gujarat (particularly the Saurashtra region).
Appearance	They have a broad, flattened head with a large mouth and two small eyes located at the front corners. Size: They can grow to 18 meters. Weight: They weigh around 34 tones and may live for 100 years. The spiracles are located just behind the eyes. They have five large pairs of gills. Distinctive feature: 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. Their mouths are located at the front of the head rather than on the underside of the head. Their mouths can be exceptionally wide and are located at the front of the head rather than on the underside of the head. Mouth can contain over 300 rows of tiny teeth and 20 filter pads, which it uses to filter feed. There have specialized flaps called velums inside the mouth which stop the backflow of water as the whale shark closes its mouth, helping retain captured food. They have 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.
Diet	They are omnivores. They feed on plankton, including copepods, krill, chaetognaths, jellyfish, fish eggs, and small nektonic life, such as small squid or fish.
Behaviour	They are migratory in nature. They are generally solitary, but may sometimes form aggregations of 100 or more individuals. They spend most of their daytime hours swimming at shallow depths, apparently feeding, sometimes right at the water surface.
Ecological Roles	It plays a role in maintaining the marine food chain by regulating plankton and small fish populations.
Threats	The species faces threats from ship collisions, fishing gear entanglement, climate change, offshore drilling, and habitat loss due to coastal development.
Conservation status	IUCN: Endangered Wildlife Protection Act 1972: Schedule I

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