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	<title>whale shark Archives - Ocean Life Education</title>
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		<title>Is a Whale Shark a Shark?</title>
		<link>https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/is-a-whale-shark-a-shark/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[oceanlifeeducation]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Aug 2021 04:11:40 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Sharks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[amazing sharks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[filter feeder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[filter feeding sharks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shark]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sharks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[whale shark]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[whale sharks]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/?p=3190</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Whale sharks look quite different to how we imagine a shark to look. They are enormous, reaching 12 meters or more in length and weighing as much as 16 tons &#8211; basically, they are about the size of a bus! And they don&#8217;t have sharp teeth, in fact their teeth don&#8217;t really assist in feeding [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/is-a-whale-shark-a-shark/">Is a Whale Shark a Shark?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au">Ocean Life Education</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-3218 size-medium" src="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/whale-shark-300x222.jpg" alt="whale shark" width="300" height="222" srcset="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/whale-shark-300x222.jpg 300w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/whale-shark-1024x759.jpg 1024w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/whale-shark-768x569.jpg 768w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/whale-shark-624x463.jpg 624w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/whale-shark.jpg 1036w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></p>
<p>Whale sharks look quite different to how we imagine a shark to look. They are enormous, reaching 12 meters or more in length and weighing as much as 16 tons &#8211; basically, they are about the size of a bus! And they don&#8217;t have sharp teeth, in fact their teeth don&#8217;t really assist in feeding at all. So, it&#8217;s no surprise that people often ask us the question&#8230;is a whale shark a shark?</p>
<h4><strong>Are Whale Sharks Really Sharks?</strong></h4>
<p>The answer is yes, whale sharks really are sharks. They have all the 33 characteristics of a shark, such as a cartilage skeleton, five pairs of gills and unfused pectoral fins to the head. Unlike whales, they are not mammals and their young are not fed by the mother’s milk. Like sharks, whale sharks are fish. In fact they are the largest fish in the ocean. So, whale sharks really are sharks&#8230;and they get their name from the fact that they are enormous!</p>
<h4><strong>What Do Whale Sharks Eat? </strong></h4>
<p>Whale sharks have rows of over 300 tiny teeth, but as filter feeders they do not use these teeth to eat. Instead, whale sharks (and other filter feeding sharks) swim along the ocean’s currents with their huge mouths open wide, filtering large quantities of water as they go and extracting tiny organisms called plankton &amp; krill from the water. A whale shark&#8217;s mouth is about 1.5 meters wide, so it&#8217;s an impressive sight!</p>
<h4><strong>The 3 largest sharks include (in size order)</strong></h4>
<ol>
<li>Whale Shark 17 meters</li>
<li>Basking Shark 15 m</li>
<li>Megamouth Shark 7-8 m</li>
</ol>
<p><strong><em>All filter feeders!</em></strong></p>
<p><strong>Diet: Plankton (tiny organisms), krill and small fish</strong></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4>Ten Amazing Whale Shark Facts</h4>
<p><a href="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/fast-facts-whalesharks/whale-shark/" rel="attachment wp-att-1679"><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-1679 alignright" src="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark-300x222.jpg" alt="" width="333" height="246" srcset="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark-300x222.jpg 300w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark-1024x759.jpg 1024w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark-768x569.jpg 768w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark-624x463.jpg 624w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark.jpg 1036w" sizes="(max-width: 333px) 100vw, 333px" /></a></p>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #000000;">Largest fish and shark in the world</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #000000;">Habitat: warm open waters of the tropical oceans </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Whale sharks spend most of their time near the surface</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #000000;">Lifespan: 70 to 100 years</span></li>
<li><span class="textexposedshow" style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Average length of an adult: 9.7 meters</span></span></li>
<li><span class="textexposedshow" style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Average weight: 9 tonnes</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Teeth: over 300 rows of tiny teeth &#8211; not used for eating!</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Whale sharks are solitary creatures</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Filter feeders &#8211; feeding mainly on plankton</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Able to process over 6,000 litres of water each hour</span></li>
</ol>
<h4></h4>
<h4><strong>Why We Need Sharks</strong></h4>
<p><iframe title="Why We Need Sharks: Amazing Sharks Online Course Ep 3" width="625" height="352" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rpwd6TYr0GE?start=1&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<h4><strong>Learn more about sharks? </strong></h4>
<h4><a href="https://oceanlifeeducation.thinkific.com/courses/amazingsharks" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft wp-image-2562" src="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square-150x150.png" alt="online shark course" width="175" height="175" srcset="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square-150x150.png 150w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square-300x300.png 300w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square-768x768.png 768w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square-624x624.png 624w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square-400x400.png 400w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square-50x50.png 50w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square.png 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 175px) 100vw, 175px" /></a></h4>
<h4>Check out our <a href="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/online-courses/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: #01cdff;">Amazing Sharks Online Shark Course</span></a></h4>
<h4><strong>Check out our<span style="color: #01cdff;"> <a style="color: #01cdff;" href="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/shark-resources/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shark Resources</a></span></strong></h4>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Further reading&#8230;</strong></p>
<h4><strong>Save Our Seas &#8211; <span style="color: #01cdff;"><a style="color: #01cdff;" href="https://saveourseas.com/project/whale-sharks-down-under/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Whale Sharks Down Under</a></span></strong></h4>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/is-a-whale-shark-a-shark/">Is a Whale Shark a Shark?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au">Ocean Life Education</a>.</p>
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			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Whale Shark Fast Facts</title>
		<link>https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/fast-facts-whalesharks/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[oceanlifeeducation]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2020 05:23:22 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Sharks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online shark course]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shark]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shark resources]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sharks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sharks of Australia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[whale shark]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[whale shark day]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[whale shark facts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[whale shark fast facts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[whale sharks]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/?p=1676</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Whale sharks are truly amazing creatures. Check out our whale shark fast facts to learn some jaw-dropping facts about them&#8230; Ten Amazing Facts About Whale Sharks The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest fish and shark in the world The whale shark is found in warm open waters of the tropical oceans  The lifespan [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/fast-facts-whalesharks/">Whale Shark Fast Facts</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au">Ocean Life Education</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/fast-facts-whalesharks/whale-shark-open_wide-3/" rel="attachment wp-att-1678"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-3192 size-large" src="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark-Open_Wide-3-1-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="625" height="416" srcset="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark-Open_Wide-3-1-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark-Open_Wide-3-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark-Open_Wide-3-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark-Open_Wide-3-1-624x416.jpg 624w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark-Open_Wide-3-1-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark-Open_Wide-3-1.jpg 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px" /></a></p>
<p>Whale sharks are truly amazing creatures. Check out our whale shark fast facts to learn some jaw-dropping facts about them&#8230;</p>
<h4>Ten Amazing Facts About Whale Sharks</h4>
<p><a href="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/fast-facts-whalesharks/whale-shark/" rel="attachment wp-att-1679"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-1679 alignright" src="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark-300x222.jpg" alt="" width="333" height="246" srcset="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark-300x222.jpg 300w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark-1024x759.jpg 1024w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark-768x569.jpg 768w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark-624x463.jpg 624w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/whale-shark.jpg 1036w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 333px) 100vw, 333px" /></a></p>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; color: #1c1e21;">The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest fish and shark in the world</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif; color: #1c1e21;">Th<span style="color: #000000;">e whale shark is found in warm open waters of the tropical oceans </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #000000;">The lifespan of the whale shark ranges from 70 to 100 years</span></li>
<li><span class="textexposedshow" style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The whale shark is also the largest non-cetacean animal in the world</span></span></li>
<li><span class="textexposedshow" style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The average length of an adult whale sharks is 9.7 meters and they weigh on average 9 tonnes</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Whale sharks have over 300 rows of tiny teeth &#8211; not used for eating!</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Whale sharks are solitary creatures</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Whale sharks spend most of their time near the surface</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">The whale shark is a filter feeder, feeding mainly on plankton</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Whale sharks can process over 6,000 litres (1,500 gallons) of water each hour</span></li>
</ol>
<h4><strong>Want to know more about sharks? </strong></h4>
<h4><a href="https://oceanlifeeducation.thinkific.com/courses/amazingsharks" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft wp-image-2562" src="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square-150x150.png" alt="online shark course" width="175" height="175" srcset="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square-150x150.png 150w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square-300x300.png 300w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square-1024x1024.png 1024w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square-768x768.png 768w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square-624x624.png 624w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square-400x400.png 400w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square-50x50.png 50w, https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Logo-square.png 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 175px) 100vw, 175px" /></a></h4>
<h4>Check out our <a href="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/online-courses/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: #01cdff;">Amazing Sharks Online Shark Course</span></a></h4>
<h4><strong>Check out our<span style="color: #01cdff;"> <a style="color: #01cdff;" href="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/shark-resources/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shark Resources</a></span></strong></h4>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Further reading&#8230;</strong></p>
<h4><strong>Save Our Seas &#8211; <span style="color: #01cdff;"><a style="color: #01cdff;" href="https://saveourseas.com/project/whale-sharks-down-under/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Whale Sharks Down Under</a></span></strong></h4>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au/fast-facts-whalesharks/">Whale Shark Fast Facts</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.oceanlifeeducation.com.au">Ocean Life Education</a>.</p>
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