Rhincodontidae
The whale shark, scientifically known as Rhincodon, is a large, slow-moving carpet shark and holds the title of being the largest known extant fish species. The impressive measurements of the largest confirmed individual reached a remarkable length of 18.8 m (61.7 ft). This remarkable creature sets multiple records for its size in the animal kingdom, particularly as the most massive living non-mammalian animal. Within the classification of marine life, the whale shark stands as the sole member of the genus Rhincodon and the only surviving member of the family Rhincodontidae, which falls under the subclass Elasmobranchii within the class Chondrichthyes. Prior to 1984, the whale shark was classified as Rhiniodon in the family Rhinodontidae.
