Unmistakeable filter-feeding shark with patterns of white dots extending in rows down body. Patterns are unique to individual animals and can be used to track movements (http://www.whaleshark.org). Largest of all fishes.
Information
Max Size: 1200 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 15.5-31.8°C
Depth: 0-700m
Habitat: Coral Reef, Open ocean
Rarity
Threats: By-catch, Exploitation
IUCN Threat Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Infrequent (4% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution.
It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: extract from RD Stuart-Smith, GJ Edgar, AJ Green, IV Shaw. 2015. Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland
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