International Whale Shark Day celebrates the largest fish alive today. A whale shark feeds by filtering small prey from water, and it can gather food near the surface with its enormous mouth.
Its pale spots and stripes make a pattern that researchers can use to identify individuals in photographs. The next time you see a whale shark photo, focus on the spots just behind the gills. To a researcher, that patch can help answer a surprisingly personal question: have we met before?
About the observance
Int’l Whale Shark Day 2026: Celebrating the Gentle Giants of the Sea
More about the featured species
https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/animal/whale-shark/