Whale sharks have spindle shaped, fusiform bodies, which are widest at the midsection and taper at the head and tail. This species is the largest known fish, with the largest specimen recorded at 20 meters long. Data collected from archival tags demonstrated that this species has the ability to dive to depths exceeding 1700 meters and can also tolerate temperatures as low as 7.8☌. These giant zooplanktivores are usually found in coastal zones with high food productivity. This species prefers surface waters between 21° and 30☌.
This species can regularly be found in the offshore waters of Australia, Belize, Ecuador, Mexico, the Philippines, and South Africa. They are known to inhabit both deep and shallow coastal waters of subtropical zones and lagoons of coral atolls and reefs. Nearly every coastal nation within these latitudes has recorded whale sharks in its waters.
Whale sharks are a highly migratory, pelagic species distributed throughout the world's tropical seas, typically being found between 30°N and 35°S latitude and occasionally as high as 41°N and 36.5°S.
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