Imagine you’re swimming far out in the ocean. You’re sitting on the edge of a kayak and something rough brushes your foot, with the texture of sandpaper. You look down and see an enormous shape, larger than a school bus, with white specks and stripes scattered on it. And it’s swimming right below you.  

The word “shark”, for most people, strikes a bit of uncertainty in their mind, maybe even some fear. But not all sharks have to seem like terrifying, man-eating giants. We present to you, the whale shark. 

Whale sharks are some of the largest fish in the world, and more specifically, the largest species of shark. They can grow to be up to 40 feet in size and weigh around 20 tons at full maturity, which is larger than the length of a school bus and over thrice as heavy as one.

To keep up with their extreme size, they have to eat a lot, too. They are carnivorous, but don’t worry, that doesn’t mean they eat people. A whale shark’s diet consists of plankton, krill, and small fish. They are filter feeders, so they swallow their small food and huge amounts of water, straining and filtering the water out.

Whale sharks travel around and populate tropical seas, out in deeper water and farther away from shallow areas. They are generally solitary, and have a very calm demeanor, allowing swimmers to interact with them.

They may seem like huge, underwater terrors, but really, WE might be the terrors for them. Every year, thousands of whale sharks are killed each year, through human disturbance, hunting, pollution, and bycatching. They are hunted for their fins, and are hurt through accidental capture.

To help, you can avoid whale shark products, contribute to reducing ocean pollution, and support and sustainable fishing practices.