---
title: Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus)
scientific_name: Rhincodon typus
common_name: Whale Shark
taxon: Whale sharks
conservation_status: EN - Endangered
published: 2024-01-03T22:40:10.497Z
updated: 2026-08-14T11:57:50.748Z
tags: Whale Shark, Rhincodon typus, Whale sharks, Red Sea, Marine Life, Diving
url: https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/sharks/whale-sharks/whale-shark
---

# Whale Shark (*Rhincodon typus*)

## Quick facts

- **Group:** Whale sharks (*Rhincodontidae*)
- **Size:** 18 m
- **Weight:** 15,000 Kg
- **Depth:** 1-199 m
- **Diet:** Filter feeder
- **Activity:** Diurnal
- **Rarity:** Rare
- **Habitat:** Open water and outer reef, seasonally close inshore at plankton blooms
- **Reproduction:** Live-bearer
- **CITES:** Appendix I
- **Conservation status:** EN - Endangered

## How to recognise it

- enormous, with a broad flat head and the mouth at the front, not underneath
- checkerboard of pale spots and lines over a dark gray back
- three ridges running along each flank
- swims slowly at or near the surface, mouth open

The largest fish alive: reliably 12 m (39 ft), credibly to 18 m (59 ft), with a mouth up to 1.5 m (5 ft) across carried at the front of a flat head rather than underneath. The back is dark gray, checkered with pale spots and lines over a grid of stripes, and the pattern is what identification depends on.

It filters. The mouth holds some 300 rows of vestigial teeth that do nothing at all, and behind them sit twenty filter pads that strain plankton, fish eggs and small fish out of the water. A feeding animal can hang vertically in the water, head up, gulping at a spawning slick, which is the least shark-like behavior in the order.

Every whale shark carries a unique constellation of spots behind the gills, and that turns out to be a solvable problem. Researchers adapted an algorithm written to match star fields in Hubble Space Telescope images, and the global photo-identification library now runs on it: a diver's snapshot, uploaded, can be matched against tens of thousands of individuals. It is how the migrations of a fish nobody can tag for long were finally traced.

Most of what is known comes from the same gaps. Pregnant females are almost never seen; the one thoroughly examined carried around 300 pups at every stage of development, which means she stored sperm and released embryos over time rather than in one litter. Where they give birth is still unknown. The animal is Endangered, killed by fishing, ship strikes and, in some places, by the boats that bring people to see it.

## Also known as

- **English:** basking shark, East Indian basking shark, whale shark
- **Arabic:** القرش الحوت, القرش الحوتي, قرش الحوت
- **Hebrew:** כריש לוויתני
- **French:** chagrin, Requin-baleine, requin baleine
- **Italian:** squalo balena
- **German:** Walhai, Rauhai
- **Spanish:** dominó, Pez dama, tiburón ballena, tiburón dama
- **Greek:** Φαλαινοκαρχαρίας
- **Turkish:** balina kopekbaligi, balina köpekbalığı
- **Portuguese:** tubarâo baleia, Pintadona, Tubarão-baleia
- **Dutch:** Walvishaai
- **Swedish:** Valhaj
- **Polish:** rekin wielorybi
- **Czech:** žralok obrovský, žralok velrybí
- **Japanese:** ジンベエザメ, Jimbezame, Jinbeizame
- **Chinese:** tofu sa, 豆腐鯊
- **Ukrainian:** Акула китова, Китова акула
- **Russian:** «Китовая акула
- **AZE:** Balina köpəkbalığı
- **BEL:** Кітовая акула
- **BG:** Китоакула
- **BRE:** Rinkin-balum
- **CA:** tauró balena
- **CYM:** Morgi morfilaidd
- **DA:** Hvalhaj
- **DIV:** Fehurihi, Fevurehi, ފެހުރިހި
- **EPO:** Balenŝarko
- **ET:** vaalhai
- **EU:** Marrazo bale, Marrazo balea
- **FA:** کوسه نهنگی, کوسهنهنگ
- **FI:** valashai
- **FIJ:** Dakuwaqa
- **GL:** Tiburón balea
- **GLA:** mhor
- **GLE:** Míolsiorc
- **HIN:** Karanj
- **HR:** Kitopsina
- **HU:** Cetcápa
- **HYE:** Կետանման շնաձուկ
- **ID:** Hiu paus
- **IS:** Hvalháfur
- **KAT:** ვეშაპისებრი ზვიგენი
- **KAZ:** Кит тәрізді акула
- **KHM:** Chlarm, Yaak
- **KO:** 고래상어
- **LT:** bangininis ryklys
- **LV:** Vaļhaizivs
- **MAL:** Thimingala sura, തിമിംഗല സ്രാവ്, തിമിംഗല സ്റാവ്
- **MAR:** Bahiri, Behiri, Deomushi
- **MKD:** Кит-ајкула
- **MLG:** Antsantsa trozona, Feso marokita, Marokintana
- **MON:** Халиман аварга загас
- **MSA:** Kappo suar, Punki suar, Yu cicak
- **NAV:** Łóóʼntsxaaí łikizhígíí
- **NNO:** kvalhai
- **NO:** hvalhai
- **OCI:** Làmia balena
- **PAN:** ਵ੍ਹੇਲ ਸ਼ਾਰਕ
- **PUS:** نهنگی شارک
- **RO:** Rechin-balenă
- **SL:** morski pes kitovec, Kitovec
- **SLK:** Žralok veľrybí
- **SR:** Кит ајкула
- **SW:** Nyangumi, Vaame
- **TAH:** Ma'o tohorā, ma'o tohora
- **TAM:** புள்ளீ உடும்பன் சுரா, Pulli udoombu, Thimingal sura
- **TAT:** Китсыман акула
- **TEL:** Thimingila sora
- **TGL:** isdang tuku, tuki tuki, Isdantuko
- **TH:** ปลาฉลามวาฬ
- **TON:** taufatahi
- **URD:** وہیل شارک, Mohr
- **VI:** Cá Nhám voi

## Scientific synonyms

- *Micristodus punctatus* Gill, 1865
- *Rhicodon typus* Smith, 1828
- *Rhineodon typus* Smith, 1828
- *Rhiniodon typus* (Smith, 1828)
- *Rhinodon pentalineatus* Kishinouye, 1901
- *Rhinodon typicus* Smith, 1845

## Range

Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, FAO fishing area 34, FAO fishing area 47, FAO fishing area 51, FAO fishing area 57, FAO fishing area 61, FAO fishing area 71, FAO fishing area 77, FAO fishing area 81, FAO fishing area 87, Federal Republic of Somalia, Gulf of Mexico, Indian Ocean, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, New Zealand, North Atlantic Ocean, Red Sea, Republic of Mauritius, Seychelles, South Africa, Table Bay, Tanzania, Western Indian Ocean

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*Source: [Red Sea Creatures](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/sharks/whale-sharks/whale-shark)*
*Updated: August 14, 2026*