Fish · La Saladita, Guerrero

Whale Shark

Rhincodon typus

Spanish: Tiburón ballena

Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus)
Photographed by sirenadelmanglar on iNaturalist

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a slow-moving filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 12.65 m (41.5 ft) and a weight of about 21.5 t (47,000 lb). The whale shark holds many records for sheer size in the animal kingdom, most notably being by far the largest living nonmammalian vertebrate. It is the sole member of the genus Rhincodon and the only extant member of the family Rhincodontidae... Most often recorded in Aug.

TaxonomyChondrichthyes › Orectolobiformes › Rhincodontidae
IUCN statusEndangered (EN)
Local records2 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records2,582 on iNaturalist
Recorded here2025 – 2025
Months recorded near La Saladita
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Fish guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/rhincodon-typus/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.