Whale Shark | Oceana
Home / Whale Shark
Marine Life Encyclopedia > Sharks & Rays > Whale Shark

Whale Shark

Whale sharks — known for their colossal size, unique physical characteristics, and serene demeanor — are the largest fish in the ocean!

 

These huge sharks are characterized by their broad and flattened heads as well as the unique “checkerboard” color pattern on their sides and back of light spots and stripes on a dark shade of gray, blue and brown. The patterns are unique to each shark, like a fingerprint!  

Despite their large size, whale sharks are filter feeders, feeding primarily on plankton, small fish, and other tiny organisms. With a five-foot wide mouth that has filtering pads inside, whales sharks feed by sucking in mouthfuls of water and straining out the prey.  

Whale sharks are highly migratory animals — found through all tropical and warm temperate seas, apart from the Mediterranean — and it is thought that their movement is associated both with abundance of food in the area as well as breeding behaviors.  

 

 

Adult whale sharks have few natural predators but face a variety of human-made threats. These threats along with lack of enforcement of whale shark protection policies have led to the whale shark’s listing as “Endangered” on the IUCN Red List.  

Bycatch

These sharks, while not necessarily targeted, routinely end up captured in fishing nets and retained when sighted. Additionally, whale sharks are often associated with tuna with some fisheries using them as an indicator of tuna presence and will even set nets around the sharks in an effort to catch fish. 

Boat Strikes

Shipping lanes that are near whale shark feeding areas pose a serious risk of boat strikes. These sharks feed close to the surface and monitoring programs have recorded propeller injuries.   

Habitat Destruction

Marine pollution events, such as oil spills, can result in death or displacement from normal habitats. Additionally, climate change could impact their habitat and future.  

 

 

Conservation efforts are crucial to protect these gentle giants. Marine protected areas, responsible tourism, and research initiatives are some of the steps being taken to ensure the survival of whale sharks. Oceana campaigns to protect critical whale shark habitat around the world, including in the Gulf of Mexico and the Philippines. Following our 2020 expedition to the Philippines’ Panaon Island and years of campaigning alongside allies, the Panaon Island Protected Seascape was established in 2025 to protect important habitat for whale sharks and other animals. 

Learn more about Oceana’s campaign to protect critical ocean habitat. 

 

 

 

GET INVOLVED

DONATE TODAY

SUPPORT OUR WORK TO PROTECT THE OCEANS BY GIVING TODAY

With the support of more than 1 million activists like you, we have already protected over 4 million square miles of ocean.

DONATE

TAKE ACTION NOW

SUPPORT POLICY CHANGE FOR THE OCEANS

Decision-makers need to hear from ocean lovers like you. Make your voice heard!

ACT NOW

VISIT OUR ADOPTION CENTER

SYMBOLICALLY ADOPT AN ANIMAL TODAY

Visit our online store to see all the ocean animals you can symbolically adopt, either for yourself or as a gift for someone else.

SHOP THE STORE

DOWNLOAD OCEAN ACTIVITIES

HELP KIDS DISCOVER OUR BLUE PLANET

Our free KELP (Kids Environmental Lesson Plans) empower children to learn about and protect our oceans!

LEARN MORE

FEATURED CAMPAIGN

Save the Oceans, Feed the World

We are restoring the world’s wild fish populations to serve as a sustainable source of protein for people.

Learn More

MORE CAMPAIGNS

Protect Habitat

Bycatch

Plastics

View All

CONTACT

Oceana International Headquarters
1025 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036 USA

General Inquiries
+1(202)-833-3900
info@oceana.org

Donation Inquiries
+1(202)-569-4895
wavemaker@oceana.org

Press Inquiries
+1(202)-833-3900
press@oceana.org

OCEANA'S EFFICIENCY

BECOME A WAVEMAKER

Sign up today to get weekly updates and action alerts from Oceana.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT WITH A DONATION

We have already protected over 4 million square miles of ocean and innumerable sea life - but there is still more to be done.

Donate Now

QUICK LINKS: