Whale shark Facts for Kids
Rhincodon typus · rin-KOH-don TY-pus
The biggest fish alive is a gentle shark that eats tiny food.
- 🏃 speed: not yet checked
- ⚖️ 40 tons36 tonnes1
- 📏 40 ft12 m1 long
- 🎂 60 to 100 years60 to 100 years1
- 🍽️ tiny sea life
- In danger (Endangered)
The whale shark is the biggest fish in the sea. It is a shark, not a whale. It swims along with its mouth open to catch tiny food.
A whale shark is a fish, so it breathes with gills, not lungs like a whale. It swims slowly with its huge mouth open and sieves tiny plankton out of the water. Every whale shark has its own pattern of pale spots and lines.
Whale sharks are the largest fish alive, yet they live on some of the smallest food: plankton, krill and tiny fish. Their wide mouths are lined with filters that sieve the food from big gulps of water. Scientists tell one whale shark from another by its spot pattern, and photos from divers help them follow where each one travels. Whale sharks are endangered, partly because they are caught in fishing nets by accident, so many countries now protect them.
How big is a whale shark?
Whale shark in numbers
| Length | 40 ft12 m1the most, by some estimates |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | 40 tons36 tonnes1the most, by some estimates |
| Top speed | no checked number yet |
| How long it lives | 60 to 100 years60 to 100 years1what scientists think |
| What it eats | plankton, krill and tiny fish |
| Where it lives | warm seas around the world |
| What kind | Fish |
| Is it in danger? | In danger (Endangered)2 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- It is the biggest fish alive, yet it eats some of the smallest food.
- Each whale shark has its own spots, a bit like a fingerprint.
- Divers' photos help scientists follow where whale sharks travel.
Compare the whale shark
Friends and neighbours
Giant manta ray
Blue whale
Great white sharkThree questions
Books about the whale shark, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the whale shark for free.
Where these numbers come from
- NOAA National Ocean Service, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, Whale shark (Q80378), checked 30 October 2026.