Whale Shark
Rhincodon typus
- Class
- Chondrichthyes
- Rarity
- Epic
- Observations
- 1,531
- Most observed in
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- Conservation
- Endangered
Description
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. An individual with a length of 18.8 m (61.7 ft) has been considered the largest reliably recorded. The whale shark holds many records for size in the animal kingdom, most notably being by far the largest living non-cetacean animal.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Whale shark”.