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The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 18.8 m (61.7 ft). [8] The whale shark holds many records for size in the animal kingdom, most notably being by far the most massive living non-cetacean animal.
Rhincodontidae is a shark family which includes the whale shark, the sole extant member and the largest living fish. A single extinct genus, Palaeorhincodon , is known from the Paleocene as well. [ 1 ]
Sharks range in size from the small dwarf lanternshark (Etmopterus perryi), a deep sea species that is only 17 centimetres (6.7 in) in length, to the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the largest fish in the world, which reaches approximately 12 metres (40 ft) in length. [4]
They are found only in the shallow waters of the western Pacific. They are relatively small sharks, with the largest species reaching no more than 91 cm (2.99 ft) in adult length. [12] Rhincodontidae: Whale sharks: 1 1 The whale shark is the largest extant fish species, growing over 12 m (40 ft) long and weighing over 20 tonnes (45,000 lb). It ...
Marine habitats can be broadly divided into pelagic and demersal habitats. Pelagic habitats are the habitats of the open water column, away from the bottom of the ocean. Demersal habitats are the habitats that are near or on the bottom of the ocean. An organism living in a pelagic habitat is said to be a pelagic organism, as in pelagic fish.
Upon death, whale carcasses fall to the deep ocean and provide a substantial habitat for marine life. Evidence of whale falls in present-day and fossil records shows that deep sea whale falls support a rich assemblage of creatures, with a global diversity of 407 species, comparable to other neritic biodiversity hotspots, such as cold seeps and ...
Ground sharks, like this blacknose shark, have a nictitating membrane which can be drawn over the eye to protect it. Carcharhiniformes / k ɑːr k ə ˈ r aɪ n ɪ f ɔːr m iː z /, the Requiem sharks, are the largest order of sharks, with over 270 species. They include a number of common types, such as catsharks, swellsharks, and requiem sharks.
[73] [74] With sharks, orcas may herd them to the surface and strike them with their tail flukes, [73] while bottom-dwelling rays are cornered, pinned to the ground and taken to the surface. [75] In other parts of the world, orcas have preyed on broadnose sevengill sharks, [76] whale sharks, [77] [78] and even great white sharks.