Whale shark (Rhincodon typus)

Scientific name: Rhincodon typus Smith, 1828

The Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a marine fish of the family Rhincodontidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 18–30°C (64–86°F).

Whale shark care at a glance

Temperature: 18–30°C (64–86°F)

Biology

World's largest fish, which is harmless to humans. Specimens rarely above 12 m. Often seen offshore but coming close inshore, sometimes entering lagoons or coral atolls. Sometimes seen cruising near outer wall. Reported to frequent shallow water areas near estuaries and river mouths, sometimes during seasonal shrimp blooms. Found singly, or in aggregations of over 100 individuals. Often associated with groups of pelagic fishes, especially scombrids. Highly migratory between ocean basins and national jurisdictions, but returns to the same sites annually. Feed on planktonic and nektonic prey, such as small fishes, small crustaceans and squids. Often seen in a vertical position with the head at or near

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Rhincodon typus
Family: Rhincodontidae (Whale shark)
Order: Orectolobiformes (Carpet sharks)
Class: Elasmobranchii (Sharks and Rays)
Maximum length: 2000
Common length: 1,000
Depth range: 0–700 m (0–2297 ft)
Environment: Marine; pelagic-oceanic; oceanodromous; depth range 0 - 700 m, usually 0 - 70 m
Climate: Subtropical
Distribution: Circumglobal in tropical and warm temperate seas. Western Atlantic: New York, USA through the Caribbean to central Brazil. Eastern Atlantic: Senegal to Gulf of Guinea; St. Paul's Rocks. Indian Ocean: throughout the region, including the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. Western Pacific: Japan to Australia and Hawaii. Eastern Pacific: California, USA to Chile. Identified as one of the species with an unfavorable conservation status in Appendix II of the Bonn Convention for the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals in 1999. Classified as a highly migratory species, in Annex I of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea which called for 'coordinated management and assessment to better understand cumulative impacts of fishing effort on the status of the shared populations' of these sharks. Included in Appendix II of the Convention on Internatio
Conservation status (IUCN): Vulnerable (VU)(A2bd+3d)
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: commercial
Resilience: Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (K=0.02; Fec=16-300)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026