---
title: Whale sharks (Rhincodontidae)
scientific_name: Rhincodontidae
common_name: Whale sharks
rank: Family
published: 2024-11-19T18:41:51.573Z
updated: 2026-08-03T21:23:57.927Z
tags: Whale sharks, Rhincodontidae, Red Sea, Marine Life, Diving
url: https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/sharks/whale-sharks
---

# Whale sharks (*Rhincodontidae*)

## Quick facts

- **Rank:** Family
- **Scientific name:** Rhincodontidae
- **Body shape:** Torpedo - Streamlined and muscular, built for open-water speed - jacks, tunas, barracudas.
- **Species listed here:** 1

## How to recognise this group

- extremely large size, often over 5 meters
- broad, flattened head
- very large, wide, terminal mouth
- dark body with distinctive pale spots and stripes
- slow, steady swimming near the surface

Whale sharks are the largest known fish species. These slow-moving carpet sharks have a broad, flattened head and a large, terminal mouth, which can open over 1.5 m (5 ft) wide. Their dark grey to brown dorsal surface is marked with a distinctive pattern of pale yellow spots and horizontal stripes, often forming a checkerboard. Individuals typically measure between 5 and 12 m (16 and 39 ft) long, with the largest confirmed specimen reaching 18.8 m (61.7 ft).

They are pelagic filter feeders, consuming plankton and small fish by swimming with their mouths open. Whale sharks are often encountered near the surface but dive to depths of at least 50 m (164 ft). They frequent open ocean environments and outer reef slopes. Sightings in the Red Sea are seasonal, most commonly from May to July, with individuals generally indifferent to human presence.


## Species (1)

- [Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/sharks/whale-sharks/whale-shark)

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*Source: [Red Sea Creatures](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/sharks/whale-sharks)*
*Updated: August 3, 2026*