No need to explain where this creature gets its common name. Not a whale, the whale shark is the largest of the fishes, perhaps achieving a maximum length of 60 feet. The whale shark's broad, flat head and checkerboard pattern of creamy white spots and stripes on a bronze or greenish-gray background distinguish it further. Often seen feeding singly at the surface, whale sharks do congregate in large numbers at various times in a few places in the world: off Mexico from Cabo San Lucas to Acapulco and in the Gulf of California; at Ningaloo Reef in northwestern Australia; and along the coast of East Africa (South Africa and Mozambique).
