- "Ohmigosh! I caught a whale shark! It could have swallowed me up!"
The Whale Shark, Rhincodon typus, is a rare finned fish exclusive to Tortimer Island. It can be caught all day, year-round, and sells for 13,000 Bells.
Museum[]
An information board in the aquarium will provide information about this fish.
"Whale sharks are the world's largest fish, but they're surprisingly some of the gentlest. They can swim at only three mph, so although they're large and very imposing, they're not really a threat. They swim with their mouths open to swallow vast quantities of tiny creatures and sea water. As they expel the water through their gills, they will eat what then remains. Since they don't have to bite prey their teeth are file-like and number about 10,000 in multiple rows."
In real life[]
The Whale Shark is a slow-moving filter feeding shark, and the largest known living fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 12.65 meters (41.50 feet) and a weight of more than 21.5 metric tons (47,000 lb), and there are unconfirmed reports of larger whale sharks. They can be found in tropical and warm oceans, and live in the open sea with a lifespan of about 70 years.
Although massive, whale sharks are docile fish and sometimes allow swimmers to catch a ride, although this practice is discouraged by shark scientists and conservationists. Younger whale sharks are actually quite gentle and can play with divers. In July 2011, several sources reported, with photographs, an incident of a diver who, allegedly, was nearly sucked into the mouth of a whale shark (but escaped unharmed) off the coast of Isla Mujeres, Mexico.