Whale shark
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| phylum | Chordata | The whale shark is a slow-moving filter feeding shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 12.65 metres (41.50 ft) and a weight of more than 21.5 metric tons (47,000 lb). The whale shark holds many records for sheer size in the animal kingdom, most notably being by far the largest living non-mammalian vertebrate, rivalling many of the largest dinosaurs in weight. Although whale sharks have very large mouths, as filter feeders they feed mainly, though not exclusively, on plankton, which are microscopic plants and animals.
For more information, visit the Wikipedia entry. Get back to carpet sharks |
| class | Chondrichthyes | |
| order | Orectolobiformes | |
| family | Rhincodontidae | |
| genus | Rhincodon | |
| species | R. typus |
