"waters of the tropical oceans and is rarely found in the water below . Modeling suggests a lifespan of about 70 years, but measurements have proven difficult. Whale sharks have very large mouths and are filter feeders, which is a feeding mode that occurs in only two other sharks, the megamouth shark and the basking shark. They feed almost exclusively on plankton and small fishes, and pose no threat to humans. The species was distinguished in April 1828 after the harpooning of a specimen in Table Bay, South Africa. Andrew Smith, a military doctor associated with British troops stationed in"
"Whale shark The whale shark (""Rhincodon typus"") is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of and a weight of about . The whale shark holds many records for size in the animal kingdom, most notably being by far the largest living nonmammalian vertebrate. It is the sole member of the genus Rhincodon and the only extant member of the family Rhincodontidae which belongs to the subclass Elasmobranchii in the class Chondrichthyes. Before 1984 it was classified as ""Rhiniodon"" into Rhinodontidae. The whale shark is found in open"
"years ago. Acanthodians are often referred to as ""spiny sharks""; though they are not part of Chondrichthyes proper, they are a paraphyletic assemblage leading to cartilaginous fish as a whole. Since then, sharks have diversified into over 500 species. They range in size from the small dwarf lanternshark (""Etmopterus perryi""), a deep sea species of only in length, to the whale shark (""Rhincodon typus""), the largest fish in the world, which reaches approximately in length. Sharks are found in all seas and are common to depths of . They generally do not live in freshwater although there are a few"
"crustaceans, marine worms, small fish and cephalopods such as octopus, squid, cuttlefish, etc. Compared to the world’s largest fish, the whale shark, more formally known as the Rhincodon typus, which reaches maximum lengths of up to 12 meters long, the gummy shark can reach a maximum length of 157 cm for males and 175 cm for female. That makes this species of shark about 14 percent of the size of the whale shark. The minimum size for both male and female is 45 cm measured from the rear-most gill slit to the base of the tail fin. At birth, these"
"this rule is the whale shark, the spiracles of which are situated just behind the eyes. Carpet sharks derive their common name from the fact that many species have a mottled appearance with intricate patterns reminiscent of carpet designs. The patterning provides camouflage when the fish is lying on the seabed. The largest carpet shark is the whale shark (""Rhincodon typus"") which can grow to a length of . It is the largest species of fish, but despite its size, is not dangerous, as it is a filter feeder, drawing in water through its wide mouth and sifting out the"
"world's reef fishes, it encompasses the highest diversity of coral reef fishes in the world More than 3,000 species of fish live in the Coral Triangle, including the largest fish - the whale shark, and the coelacanth. The Coral Triangle is the epicentre for the biodiversity of not only corals and fish, but many other marine organisms as well. It also provides habitat to six out of the world's seven marine turtle species. The Coral Triangle also has the greatest extent of mangrove forests in the world. The large area and extraordinary range of habitats and environmental conditions have played"
"two small eyes at the front. Whale sharks are grey with a white belly. Their skin is marked with pale yellow spots and stripes which are unique to each individual. The whale shark has three prominent ridges along its sides. Its skin can be up to thick. The shark has a pair of dorsal fins and pectoral fins. Juveniles' tails have a larger upper fin than the lower fin, while the adult tail becomes semilunate. The whale shark's spiracles are just behind its eyes. The whale shark is the largest non-cetacean animal in the world. The average size of adult"
"Fin whale The fin whale (""Balaenoptera physalus""), also known as finback whale or common rorqual and formerly known as herring whale or razorback whale, is a marine mammal belonging to the parvorder of baleen whales. It is the second-largest species on Earth after the blue whale. The largest reportedly grow to long with a maximum confirmed length of , a maximum recorded weight of nearly , and a maximum estimated weight of around . American naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews called the fin whale ""the greyhound of the sea ... for its beautiful, slender body is built like a racing yacht"
"whales. The giant squid is the second-largest mollusc and one of the largest of all extant invertebrates. It is only exceeded by the colossal squid, ""Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni"", which may have a mantle nearly twice as long. Several extinct cephalopods, such as the Cretaceous vampyromorphid ""Tusoteuthis"", the Cretaceous coleoid ""Yezoteuthis"", and the Ordovician nautiloid ""Cameroceras"" may have grown even larger. Giant squid size, particularly total length, has often been exaggerated. Reports of specimens reaching and even exceeding are widespread, but no specimens approaching this size have been scientifically documented. According to giant squid expert Steve O'Shea, such lengths were likely achieved"
"for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (Pacific Cetaceans MOU). Fin whale The fin whale (""Balaenoptera physalus""), also known as finback whale or common rorqual and formerly known as herring whale or razorback whale, is a marine mammal belonging to the parvorder of baleen whales. It is the second-largest species on Earth after the blue whale. The largest reportedly grow to long with a maximum confirmed length of , a maximum recorded weight of nearly , and a maximum estimated weight of around . American naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews called the fin whale ""the"
"Cape Town, described it the following year. The name ""whale shark"" refers to the fish's size, being as large as some species of whales, and also to its being a filter feeder like baleen whales. Whale sharks have a mouth that can be wide, containing 300 to 350 rows of tiny teeth and 10 filter pads which it uses to filter feed. Unlike many other sharks, whale sharks' mouths are located at the front of the head rather than on the underside of the head. Whale sharks have five large pairs of gills. The head is wide and flat with"
"as a sport fish makes it vulnerable to exploitation and unable to sustain targeted fishing for very long. Although population data is lacking in many areas for this species, certain regional populations have been classified as severely depleted. Although it is usually caught as bycatch, it is also caught for food and sport. Bluntnose sixgill shark The bluntnose sixgill shark (""Hexanchus griseus""), often simply called the cow shark, is the largest hexanchoid shark, growing to in length. It is found in tropical and temperate waters worldwide and its diet is widely varied by region. The first scientific description of the"
"Oarfish Oarfish are large, greatly elongated, pelagic lampriform fish belonging to the small family ""Regalecidae"". Found in all temperate to tropical oceans yet rarely seen, the oarfish family contains three species in two genera. One of these, the giant oarfish (""Regalecus glesne""), is the longest bony fish alive, growing up to in length. That is not enough to qualify as the longest fish, however, as some of the cartilaginous fishes such as the basking shark and whale shark are even longer. The common name ""oarfish"" is thought to be in reference either to their highly compressed and elongated bodies, or"
"This term has often been misused in the US, mainly in the fishing industry, where all small cetaceans (dolphins and porpoises) are considered porpoises, while the fish ""dorado"" is called dolphin fish. In common usage the term 'whale' is used only for the larger cetacean species, while the smaller ones with a beaked or longer nose are considered 'dolphins'. The name 'dolphin' is used casually as a synonym for bottlenose dolphin, the most common and familiar species of dolphin. There are six species of dolphins commonly thought of as whales, collectively known as blackfish: the killer whale, the melon-headed whale,"
"due to the fast-moving fish's inertia), and thresher sharks do exhibit some of the aforementioned behaviors independent of whales. Common thresher The common thresher (""Alopias vulpinus""), also known by many names such as Atlantic thresher, big-eye thresher, fox shark, green thresher, swingletail, slasher, swiveltail, thintail thresher, whip-tailed shark and Zorro thresher shark, is the largest species of thresher shark, family Alopiidae, reaching some in length. About half of its length consists of the elongated upper lobe of its caudal fin. With a streamlined body, short pointed snout, and modestly sized eyes, the common thresher resembles (and has often been confused"
"mammals; the Tunicata, which includes salps and sea squirts; and lastly the Cephalochordata, which includes the lancelets. There are also additional extinct taxa such as the Vetulicolia. The Vertebrata are sometimes considered as a subgroup of the clade Craniata, which is consisting of chordates with a already formed skull; the Craniata and Tunicata compose the clade Olfactores. Of the more than 65,000 living species of chordates, about half are bony fish that are members of the superclass Osteichthyes. The world's largest and fastest animals, the blue whale and peregrine falcon respectively, are chordates, as are humans. Fossil chordates are known"
"did attain a size of over , it would have been the largest known fish that has ever lived, surpassing the Jurassic fish ""Leedsichthys"". Mature male megalodon may have had a body mass of , and mature females may have been , given that males could range in length from and females . A 2015 study linking shark size and typical swimming speed estimated that megalodon would have typically swum at –given that its body mass was typically –which is consistent with other aquatic creatures of its size, such as the fin whale (""Balaenoptera physalus"") which typically cruises at speeds"
"Monodontidae (belugas and narwhals), Physeteridae (the sperm whale), Kogiidae (the dwarf and pygmy sperm whale), and Ziphiidae (the beaked whales). Whales are creatures of the open ocean; they feed, mate, give birth, suckle and raise their young at sea. So extreme is their adaptation to life underwater that they are unable to survive on land. Whales range in size from the and dwarf sperm whale to the and blue whale, which is the largest creature that has ever lived. The sperm whale is the largest toothed predator on earth. Several species exhibit sexual dimorphism, in that the females are larger"
"Rorqual Rorquals (Balaenopteridae) are the largest group of baleen whales, a family with nine extant species in two genera. They include what is believed to be the largest animal that has ever lived, the blue whale, which can reach , and the fin whale, which reaches ; even the smallest of the group, the northern minke whale, reaches . Rorquals take their name from French ', which derives from the Norwegian word ', meaning ""rorqual-whale"" (the first element ""røyr"" originated from the Old Norse name for this type of whale, ""reyðr"", probably related to the Norse word for ""red""). The"
"Common thresher The common thresher (""Alopias vulpinus""), also known by many names such as Atlantic thresher, big-eye thresher, fox shark, green thresher, swingletail, slasher, swiveltail, thintail thresher, whip-tailed shark and Zorro thresher shark, is the largest species of thresher shark, family Alopiidae, reaching some in length. About half of its length consists of the elongated upper lobe of its caudal fin. With a streamlined body, short pointed snout, and modestly sized eyes, the common thresher resembles (and has often been confused with) the pelagic thresher (""A. pelagicus""). It can be distinguished from the latter species by the white of its"
"are rarely seen at the surface when not sick or injured. Oarfish Oarfish are large, greatly elongated, pelagic lampriform fish belonging to the small family ""Regalecidae"". Found in all temperate to tropical oceans yet rarely seen, the oarfish family contains three species in two genera. One of these, the giant oarfish (""Regalecus glesne""), is the longest bony fish alive, growing up to in length. That is not enough to qualify as the longest fish, however, as some of the cartilaginous fishes such as the basking shark and whale shark are even longer. The common name ""oarfish"" is thought to be"
"Bluntnose sixgill shark The bluntnose sixgill shark (""Hexanchus griseus""), often simply called the cow shark, is the largest hexanchoid shark, growing to in length. It is found in tropical and temperate waters worldwide and its diet is widely varied by region. The first scientific description of the bluntnose sixgill shark was authored in 1788 by Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre. As a member of the Hexanchidae family, it has more close relatives in the fossil record than living relatives. The related living species include the dogfish, the Greenland shark, and other six- and sevengilled sharks. Some of the shark's relatives date back"
"often called a whale today, the Hebrew, as throughout scripture, refers to no species in particular, simply saying ""great fish"" or ""big fish"" (whales are today classified as mammals and not fish, but no such distinction was made in antiquity). While some biblical scholars suggest the size and habits of the great white shark correspond better to the representations given of Jonah's being swallowed, normally an adult human is too large to be swallowed whole. The development of whaling from the 18th century onwards made it clear that most, if not all, species of whale were incapable of swallowing a"
"ocean, since whalers had nearly hunted the species to extinction. Today, the blue whale is renowned for being the largest animal ever to have lived. In part because of its legendary status, many misconceptions still exist. For example, its size is often exaggerated. Many popular sources give the maximum length as or more. While such lengths were reported in the whaling records, they were not scientifically verified and were probably exaggerated. Virtually all books and articles that mention the blue whale claim that it can reach . This is probably true (the largest verified specimen was but is highly misleading"
"coral, fire coral, sea whips, star coral and finger coral. Along the many coral reefs are also numerous crabs, lobsters, parrot fish, damselfish, goatfish, wrasse, triggerfish, trunkfish, trumpet fish, angelfish, squid, sea turtles and octopus. Among the larger marine mammals are species such as the endangered West Indian manatee and humpback whale, as well as sixteen other species of whales and dolphins, including the pantropical spotted dolphin, common bottlenose dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, Clymene dolphin, spinner dolphin, striped dolphin, rough-toothed dolphin, Risso's dolphin, melon-headed whale, pygmy killer whale, false killer whale, and the short-finned pilot whale. Shark species include the"
"known cases of tool use in marine mammals (along with sea otters): they protect their nose with a sponge while foraging for food in the sandy sea bottom. Humpback and southern right whales use the waters of the bay as migratory staging post while other species such as Bryde's whale come into the bay less frequently but to feed or rest. The threatened green and loggerhead sea turtles nest on the bay's sandy beaches. The largest fish in the world, the whale shark, gathers in the bay during the April and May full moons. Shark Bay has the largest known"
"Great hammerhead The great hammerhead (""Sphyrna mokarran"") is the largest species of hammerhead shark, belonging to the family Sphyrnidae, attaining a maximum length of . It is found in tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide, inhabiting coastal areas and the continental shelf. The great hammerhead can be distinguished from other hammerheads by the shape of its ""hammer"" (called the ""cephalofoil""), which is wide with an almost straight front margin, and by its tall, sickle-shaped first dorsal fin. A solitary, strong-swimming apex predator, the great hammerhead feeds on a wide variety of prey ranging from crustaceans and cephalopods, to bony fish,"
"J. Schembri and Stephen Papson opined that ""C. megalodon"" may have approached a maximum of around in total length; Gottfried and colleagues asserted that ""C. megalodon"" could have reached a maximum of in total length. Nowadays, the commonly acknowledged maximum total length of ""C. megalodon"" is about , with the average size being , compared to the maximum recorded sizes of the great white shark at and the whale shark (the largest living fish) at . It is possible that different populations of megalodon around the globe had different body sizes and behaviors due to different ecological pressures. If it"
", respectively. Females grow larger than males. The silky shark is one of the three most common pelagic sharks along with the blue and oceanic whitetip sharks, and counts among the most numerous large oceanic animals in the world with a population of at least tens of millions. Compared to the other two species, it is less strictly pelagic with the greatest numbers found in offshore waters associated with land, where food is more readily obtained than farther out in the truly open ocean. The silky shark is an active, inquisitive, and aggressive predator, though it will defer to the"
"historians classified also seals, whales, amphibians, crocodiles, even hippopotamuses, as well as a host of aquatic invertebrates, as fish. However, according to the definition above, all mammals, including cetaceans like whales and dolphins, are not fish. In some contexts, especially in aquaculture, the true fish are referred to as finfish (or fin fish) to distinguish them from these other animals. A typical fish is ectothermic, has a streamlined body for rapid swimming, extracts oxygen from water using gills or uses an accessory breathing organ to breathe atmospheric oxygen, has two sets of paired fins, usually one or two (rarely three)"
"revenue daily. Great white shark The great white shark (""Carcharodon carcharias""), also known as the great white, white shark or white pointer, is a species of large mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major oceans. The great white shark is notable for its size, with larger female individuals growing to in length and in weight at maturity. However, most are smaller; males measure , and females measure on average. According to a 2014 study, the lifespan of great white sharks is estimated to be as long as 70 years or more, well"
"include the blue whale, the world's largest animal, as well as the Eden's, Omura's, Bryde's, common minke, fin, sei, and humpback whale. There had been an endemic, resident population of fin whales in Yellow and Bohai Sea to East China Sea historically. Minke whales are also resident in the same regions. Bryde's whales were considered to be historical residents along Taiwan and southern coasts. In Chinese EEZ, critically endangered North Pacific right whales and western gray whales had been sighted in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea only on prior to 1970s especially for right whales while there had"
"been estimated that nearly two million marine species are yet to be documented. Marine species range in size from the microscopic, including plankton and phytoplankton which can be as small as 0.02 micrometres, to huge cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) including the blue whale, the largest known animal reaching up to 33 metres (109 feet) in length. Marine microorganisms, including bacteria and viruses, constitute more than 90% of the total marine biomass. There is no life without water, which has been characterised as the ""solvent of life"". The Nobel prize winner Albert Szent-Györgyi referred to water as the ""mater und"