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Fish
Whale shark
Whale shark · Rhincodon typus
Whale sharks glide calmly through tropical oceans, filtering plankton and impressing with their size and characteristic spotted pattern.
Fact file
- Size
- Up to 12 metres long and around 12 tonnes in weight
- Males and females
- Males have longer mating organs (claspers), otherwise there are hardly any external differences
- Sounds
- Whale sharks are silent and do not produce any audible sounds
- Diet
- Filters plankton, fish larvae and small crustaceans
- Offspring
- Live-bearing, young are about 60 cm long at birth
How to identify Whale shark
Whale sharks are the largest fish on earth and are striking with their massive, broad bodies. Their grey-blue skin is covered with a unique pattern of white spots and vertical stripes. The head and mouth are exceptionally wide and flattened at the front.
The pectoral fins are powerful and the dorsal fin tapers gently. Another distinguishing feature is the small eyes on the sides of the head. While juveniles often show more contrasting patterns, these fade slightly in adult whale sharks.
More in the app
With Wildful Stories+ you also get in the app:
- general viewing tips
Where Whale shark live
Costa Rica
Discover Whale shark on your trip.
The app shows you where and when to see wildlife along your route.
