whale shark

whale shark
a tropical shark, Rhincodon typus, ranging in size from 30 to 60 ft. (9 to 18 m), having small teeth and a sievelike structure over its gills for catching plankton.
[1880-85]

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Species (Rhincodon typus) of gigantic but harmless shark found worldwide but mainly in the tropics.

The largest of living fishes, it often grows to about 30 ft (9 m) long and may reach twice that size. It is gray or brown with a pale undersurface and is distinctively marked with small spots and narrow vertical lines of yellow or white. It has tiny teeth, and eats plankton and small fishes. A sluggish animal, it generally swims slowly near the surface and has been hit by ships.

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▪ shark
 (Rhincodon typus), gigantic but harmless shark (family Rhincodontidae) found worldwide but mainly in the tropics. The largest of living fishes, it often grows to about 9 m (30 feet) long and reportedly may reach twice that. It is gray or brown with a pale undersurface and is distinctively marked with small spots and narrow vertical lines of yellow or white. The whale shark has tiny teeth and feeds on plankton and small fishes. A sluggish animal, it generally swims slowly near the surface and has been hit by ships.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • Whale shark — Shark Shark, n. [Of uncertain origin; perhaps through OF. fr. carcharus a kind of dogfish, Gr. karchari as, so called from its sharp teeth, fr. ka rcharos having sharp or jagged teeth; or perhaps named from its rapacity (cf. {Shark}, v. t. & i.); …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whale shark — whale′ shark n. ich a tropical shark, Rhincodon typus, ranging in size from 30 to 60 ft. (9 to 18 m) and having small teeth and a sievelike structure over the gills for catching plankton • Etymology: 1880–85 …   From formal English to slang

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  • whale shark — noun large spotted shark of warm surface waters worldwide; resembles a whale and feeds chiefly on plankton • Syn: ↑Rhincodon typus • Hypernyms: ↑shark • Member Holonyms: ↑Rhincodon, ↑genus Rhincodon * * * noun …   Useful english dictionary

  • whale shark — Liver Liv er, n. [AS. lifer; akin to D. liver, G. leber, OHG. lebara, Icel. lifr, Sw. lefver, and perh. to Gr. ? fat, E. live, v.] (Anat.) A very large glandular and vascular organ in the visceral cavity of all vertebrates. [1913 Webster] Note:… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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  • whale shark — noun A very large spotted shark, Rhincodon typus, of warm marine waters, similar to a whale, that feeds by filtering plankton from the water …   Wiktionary

  • whale shark — noun Date: circa 1885 a shark (Rhincodon typus) of warm waters that has small teeth, feeds chiefly on plankton strained by its gill rakers, may sometimes attain a length of up to 60 feet (18.3 meters), and is the largest known fish …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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