Female Whale Sharks Overtake Males to Become World’s Largest Fish

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the world’s largest fish, growing to maximum known sizes of 18 m (59 feet) total length.

A new study led by University of Western Australia marine biologists has found that male whale sharks grow quickly, before plateauing at an average adult length of about 8-9 m (26.2-29.5 feet), and that female whale sharks grow more slowly but eventually overtake the males, reaching an average adult length of about 14 m (46 feet).

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Image credit: Andre Rereuka / Australian Institute of Marine Science, University of Western Australia.

Meekan et al found evidence that male whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) attain asymptotic sizes of around 8.5-9 m at Ningaloo Reef, which suggests that females are more likely to reach the largest sizes (over 12 m) observed in the species.

Source / Image Courtesy

Whale Shark | National Geographic