The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest among all known fish species seeing that they are sharks and not whales. This animal does not have bones and has cartilage which is much lighter. The length of this creature is a great way to determine its weight and seeing as the average length of these animals is 18 to 32.8 feet (5.5 to 10 meters) you can guess that a logical conclusion to this question would be the whale shark weighs 20.6 tons (45,415.23 lbs) on average.

Like many other sharks, they are endangered and in need of help. The average lifespan of a whale shark is a whopping 70 years! Their diet consists of plankton and other small fish that they are able to suck into their toothless mouths. You can easily see one of these gentle giants while on a ship of some sort as they prefer to stay close to the water's surface.

Every whale shark has its own unique pattern of spots on its back similar to that of a cheetah. On their flat snouts are short barbels that are barely visible. These barbels act as sensory organs and look like whiskers. Most whale sharks are found in warmer, tropical areas around the world such as the Pacific and Indian oceans. Not much are known about these creatures compared to other aquatic animals, but more information could save them and give us marine life lovers more to spread about them.

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