The Whale Shark Explained

The whale shark is a slow filter feeder living in all tropical oceans. It is huge.

It processes over 6,000 liters of water per hour through specialized gill pads. A light afternoon sip.

A military doctor described the species after a 4.6 m specimen was harpooned.

Their skin can be up to 15 cm thick and feels very hard. Wearing fifteen centimeters seems excessive.

They rarely enter water below 21 °C but dive deep. One recorded descent reached 1,928 metres.

Fossil teeth appear in Late Oligocene rocks from South Carolina.

Its eyeballs are armored with tiny teeth.

Despite holding many size records, the whale shark remains docile around people.