Whale Shark

Whale sharks cruise warm tropical oceans with their massive mouths agape, filtering thousands of liters of seawater per hour to sift out tiny plankton and schooling fish. Each individual carries an entirely unique constellation of pale white spots and stripes across its dark grey skin, allowing researchers to track individuals worldwide using photographic identification. Though these gentle giants undertake vast migrations across entire ocean basins, they regularly gather in coastal shallows to gorge on synchronized fish and coral spawning events.