Whale shark  (Rhincodon typus)

Facts

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Chondrichthyes
Order Orectolobiformes
Family Rhincodontidae
Genus Rhincodon (1)
Size Length: 9 - 12 m (2)
Weight up to 12,500 kg (2)

Status

Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (1). Listed on Appendix II of CITES (3), and listed on Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS or Bonn Convention) (4).