whale shark, Species (Rhincodon typus) of gigantic but harmless shark found worldwide but mainly in the tropics. The largest of living fishes, it often grows to about 30 ft (9 m) long and may reach twice that size. It is gray or brown with a pale undersurface and is distinctively marked with small spots and narrow vertical lines of yellow or white. It has tiny teeth and eats plankton and small fishes. A sluggish animal, it generally swims slowly near the surface. Vulnerable to being harpooned, struck by ships, and accidentally caught as bycatch in commercial fishing, the whale shark is considered endangered.
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