whale shark

American  

noun

1. a tropical shark, Rhincodon typus, ranging in size from 30 to 60 feet (9 to 18 meters), having small teeth and a sievelike structure over its gills for catching plankton.

---

whale shark British  

noun

1. a large spotted whalelike shark, Rhincodon typus, of warm seas, that feeds on plankton and small animals: family Rhincodontidae

---

Etymology

Origin of whale shark

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

“Living gigantic sharks, such as the whale shark and basking shark, as well as many other gigantic aquatic vertebrates like whales have slender bodies because large stocky bodies are hydrodynamically inefficient for swimming,” Shimada said.

From Salon • Mar. 10, 2025

The region is a biodiversity hotspot, home to over 500 fish species, 60 kinds of corals and one of the largest whale shark congregations on Earth.

From Science Daily • Apr. 4, 2024

That's because, this year, scientists also captured footage of orcas slurping down the liver of a whale shark off the coast of Baja California, Mexico.

From Scientific American • Nov. 2, 2023

“The whale shark is actually the animal with the largest semicircular canals on Earth, much larger than the canals in whales,” David says.

From Science Magazine • Jul. 20, 2022

Percy, Coach Hedge, and Frank stumbled out of the glass tunnel and found themselves back in the whale shark room.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan