Whale shark | |
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Whale shark from Taiwan in the Georgia Aquarium | |
The size of various whale shark individuals with a human for scale | |
Conservation status | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Order: | Orectolobiformes |
Family: | Rhincodontidae J. P. Müller and Henle, 1839 |
Genus: | Rhincodon A. Smith, 1829 |
Species: | R. typus |
Binomial name | |
Rhincodon typus | |
Range of whale shark | |
Synonyms | |
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The whale shark (Rhincodon typus), is a filter feeding shark. It is the largest living fish. It grows up to 12 metres long, and may weigh as much as 47,000 pounds.
The whale shark has a very wide distribution. It is found in all tropical and warm temperate seas, except in the Mediterranean.
It has a huge mouth which sweeps up krill and plankton. This large fish eats the smallest sea life.
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