Description
Also known as Basking Shark, Tofu Shark, Typus Shark.
Found singly or in shivers, cruising around coral atolls, lagoons, and off-shore, often with schools of pelagic fish in tow.
They feed on crustaceans, small fish, squid, and zooplankton.
Length - 2000cm
Depth - 0-1900m
Widespread Circumtropical
This beautiful shy shark is the largest living fish species, with very distinctive markings.
These are slow filter feeding sharks whose mouth can be 1.5m wide and can contain as many as 350 tiny rows of teeth.
The Whale Shark on the right has been identified as M-031 by the ECOCEAN Whale Shark Photo-identification Library.
The first time one of our son's saw this coming towards him when he was snorkelling alone by the dive boat he thought he was "DEAD MEAT"
When we surfaced and then dived down to look he knew he was safe!! Ref: http://fishbase.org/summary/2081
2 comments
Posted by @fishx6Wonderful, my son nearly "shit" himself when he first saw it!!
Posted by @scubasteveI was snorkelling, when I heard a bunch of dive computers going off. I turned round to see why the divers were coming up so quickly and saw this bugger coming towards me!! Incredible sight. As big as a double decker bus, and harmless. He just sailed on by! I saw mine in the Maldives.