Whale shark
Rhincodon typus
| Length | Possibly up to 60 ft, usually 13-40 ft; world’s largest fish |
| Description | A nearly terminal mouth, 300 rows of backcurved teeth (which are not used in feeding) and a unique checkerboard spot pattern on the body |
| Food | Eats wide variety of plankton and nekton, including small fishes, crustaceans, squid |
| Habitat | Often seen feeding at the surface; reported caught between 8,500 to 15,000 ft; in Hawaii, rarely found north of Kauai |