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| Rhincodon typus AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS |
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Rhincodon typus
Photo de Wirtz, P.
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Photo de Wirtz, P.
Classification / Noms Noms communs | Synonymes | Catalog of Fishes(Genre, Espèce) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Élasmobranches (requins et raies) (sharks and rays) > Orectolobiformes (Carpet sharks) > Rhincodontidae (Whale shark)
Etymology: Rhincodon: rhinc, presumably a typographical error for rhine (Gr.), rasp, but often mistranslated as rhynchos (Gr.), snout; odon, tooth, referring to small, slightly curved teeth, “placed in longitudinal rows, and altogether so disposed towards the anterior edges of jaws as to exhibit the resemblance of a rasp or file lying across each” (See ETYFish); typus: Serving as type species of the genus (See ETYFish).
Eponymy: Camrin D Braun is an American ichthyologist. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Etymology: Rhincodon: rhinc, presumably a typographical error for rhine (Gr.), rasp, but often mistranslated as rhynchos (Gr.), snout; odon, tooth, referring to small, slightly curved teeth, “placed in longitudinal rows, and altogether so disposed towards the anterior edges of jaws as to exhibit the resemblance of a rasp or file lying across each” (See ETYFish); typus: Serving as type species of the genus (See ETYFish).
Eponymy: Camrin D Braun is an American ichthyologist. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environnement : milieu / zone climatique / profondeur / gamme de distribution Écologie
marin pelagic-oceanic; océanodrome (Ref. 87829); profondeur 0 - 1928 m (Ref. 106604), usually 0 - 100 m (Ref. 89972). Subtropical; 18°C - 30°C (Ref. 35465); 45°N - 48°S, 180°W - 180°E
Distribution Territoires | Zones FAO | Écosystèmes | Occurrences | Carte par point | Introductions | Faunafri
Circumglobal, all tropical and warm temperate seas except the Mediterranean.
Longueur à la première maturité / Taille / Poids / Âge
Maturité: Lm 500.0, range 440 - 560 cm
Max length : 1,700 cm TL mâle / non sexé; (Ref. 48722); 2,000.0 cm TL (female); common length : 1,000 cm TL mâle / non sexé; (Ref. 12757); poids max. publié: 34.0 t (Ref. 48722); âge max. reporté: 80 années (Ref. 116781)
Max length : 1,700 cm TL mâle / non sexé; (Ref. 48722); 2,000.0 cm TL (female); common length : 1,000 cm TL mâle / non sexé; (Ref. 12757); poids max. publié: 34.0 t (Ref. 48722); âge max. reporté: 80 années (Ref. 116781)
Description synthétique Clés d'identification | Morphologie | Morphométrie
Épines dorsales (Total) : 0; Épines anales: 0. A huge, filter-feeding, blunt-headed shark with a distinct checkerboard pattern of yellow or white spots, on grey, bluish or blue-grey to green-brown back, white or yellowish underside, with horizontal and vertical stripes on back and sides of body; head broad and flat; snout short; mouth almost terminal, huge and transverse in front of eyes; prominent ridges on body, lowest terminating in a keel on caudal peduncle (Ref. 58085, 114967); nostrils with rudimentary barbels; long nasoral grooves; spiracles close to and larger than eyes; 5 exceptionally large gill openings, the fifth behind pectoral fin (Ref. 110893, 114967); numerous small, scale-like teeth and feeds by filtering plankton with special sieve-like modifications of the gill bars (Ref. 26938).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated; Cross section: other (see remarks).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated; Cross section: other (see remarks).
World's largest fish, but is harmless to humans (Ref. 6871). Grows up to 20m (Ref. 48722). Often seen offshore but coming close inshore, sometimes entering lagoons or coral atolls (Ref. 247). Sometimes seen cruising near outer wall (Ref. 26938). Reported to frequent shallow water areas near estuaries and river mouths, sometimes during seasonal shrimp blooms (Ref. 48696). Found singly, or in aggregations of over 100 individuals (Ref. 5578). Often associated with groups of pelagic fishes, especially scombrids (Ref. 247). Highly migratory between ocean basins and national jurisdictions, but returns to the same sites annually (Refs. 48672, 131113). Feed on planktonic and nektonic prey, such as small fishes (sardines, anchovies, mackerel, juvenile tunas and albacore), small crustaceans and squids (Ref. 247). Often seen in a vertical position with the head at or near the surface when feeding (Ref. 13571). When actively feeding on zooplankton the sharks turn their heads from side to side, with part of the head lifted out of the water, and the mouth opened and closed 7-28 times per minute; these suction gulps were synchronized with the opening and closing of the gill slits (Ref. 35680). Ovoviviparous, with litter size of over 300 pups (Ref. 37816, 43278). Females of 438 to 562 cm are immature (FIGIS 09/2003). Utilized fresh, frozen, dried and salted for human consumption, liver processed for oil, fins used for shark-fin soup, offal probably for fishmeal (Ref. 13571), cartilage for health supplements and skin for leather products (Ref. 48723). Used in Chinese medicine (Ref. 12166). Highly valued commodity in ecotourism operations. Populations have been depleted in several countries by harpoon fisheries (Ref. 48696). Estimated longevity of 80.4 yrs is much larger than reported maximum age 38 yrs based on vertebral bands for a female of 11.9 m TL. Maximum length of up to 21 m and weight of up to 42 tons have been reported (Ref. 116781), but probably the most reliably measured size so far is 12 m TL (Ref. 26319).
Cycle de vie et comportement reproducteur Maturité | Reproduction | Frai | Œufs | Fécondité | Larves
Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 35465). Embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449). Late term embryos shed their egg case within the uterus at a size of 58 to 64 cm TL (ovovivipary). The smallest free-living species are from 55-56 cm long, the smallest of which had an umbilical scar. A pregnant female has recently been found with 300 embryos, the largest of which were 58-64 cm (Refs. 26346, 35678).
Référence principale
Téléchargez vos références | Références | Coordinateur : Compagno, Leonard J.V. | Collaborateurs
Colman, J.G., 1997. A review of the biology and ecology of the whale shark. J. Fish Biol. 51(6):1219-1234. (Ref. 26319)
Statut dans la liste rouge de l'IUCN (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2 (Global))
Menacé (EN) (A2bd); Date assessed: 31 March 2025
Menace pour l'homme
Harmless (Ref. 6871)
Utilisations par l'homme
Pêcheries: commercial
FAO - pêcheries: Résumé espèce; Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us
Plus d'informations
Écologie trophique
Aliments (proies)
Composition du régime alimentaire
Consommation alimentaire
Rations alimentaires
Prédateurs
Aliments (proies)
Composition du régime alimentaire
Consommation alimentaire
Rations alimentaires
Prédateurs
Dynamique des populations
Paramètres de croissance
Âges / tailles maximales
Longueur-poids rel.
Rel. longueur-longueur.
Fréquences de longueurs
Conversion de masse
Recrutement
Abondance
Paramètres de croissance
Âges / tailles maximales
Longueur-poids rel.
Rel. longueur-longueur.
Fréquences de longueurs
Conversion de masse
Recrutement
Abondance
Cycle de vie
Reproduction
Maturité
Maturité/épines rel.
Fécondité
Frai
Agrégats de frai
Œufs
Développement de l'œuf
Larves
Dynamique des populations larvaires
Reproduction
Maturité
Maturité/épines rel.
Fécondité
Frai
Agrégats de frai
Œufs
Développement de l'œuf
Larves
Dynamique des populations larvaires
Physiologie
Composition corporelle
Nutriments
Consommation d'oxygène
Type de natation
Vitesse de nage
Pigments visuels
Son de poisson
Maladies et parasites
Toxicité (CL50)
Composition corporelle
Nutriments
Consommation d'oxygène
Type de natation
Vitesse de nage
Pigments visuels
Son de poisson
Maladies et parasites
Toxicité (CL50)
Liées à l'homme
Systèmes d'aquaculture
Profils d'aquaculture
Souches
Cas de ciguatera
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Systèmes d'aquaculture
Profils d'aquaculture
Souches
Cas de ciguatera
Timbres, pièces de monnaie, divers
Outils
Quiz bio | E-book | Guide de terrain | Clés d'identification | Générateur de fréquences de longueur | Outil de dynamique de population | Carte par point |
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Articles particuliers
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Sources Internet
AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: Genre, Espèce | DiscoverLife | DORIS | ECOTOX | FAO - pêcheries: Résumé espèce; Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | Bases de données nationales | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Arbre de Vie | Wikipedia: aller à, chercher | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoobank | Zoological Record
Estimations basées sur des modèles
Température préférée (Réf. 123201): 19.6 - 29, mean 27.3 °C (based on 5510 cells).
Indice de diversité phylogénétique (Réf. 82804): PD50 = 1.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00180 - 0.00842), b=3.12 (2.94 - 3.30), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).
Niveau trophique (Réf. 69278): 3.6 ±0.5 se; based on diet studies.
Résilience (Réf. 120179): Très faible, temps minimum de doublement de population supérieur à 14 ans (K=0.02; Fec=16-300).