Category
Skin is grayish-blue with white spots and stripes
The mouth is lined with over 300 rows of tiny teeth, although they don’t use them for feeding. Instead, they rely on their gills to filter the water and digest planktonic organisms
While most sharks have a streamlined, pointed body, the whale shark’s flattened head and wide mouth set them apart
Over 100 years of age, reaching maturity at around 30 years
Filter feeders, meaning they feed by filtering water through their gills to extract plankton, small fish, and other small organisms
They have gill rakers, which are small, comb-like structures that serve as a filter to trap food particles as water passes by
This unique feeding mechanism allows them to consume large quantities of food with minimal energy expenditure
They can filter up to 1,500 gallons of water per hour through their gill rakers