Whale shark, Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia Aug 30, 2023

Say hello to the largest fish in the world, the whale shark. These gentle giants are not related to whales, despite their impressive size of an average 12 metres in length. Whale sharks are calm creatures which are usually safe for divers to swim alongside. These sharks are filter feeders and consume plankton and small fish by sieving them through their gill plates. There has been a significant decline in their populations, with an estimated 63% decrease in their numbers in the last 75 years. Threats include being hit by boats or tangled in fishing gear and their habitats are being damaged by pollution, coastal development and over-fishing. Advocates work through education and community engagement to help safeguard whale sharks and preserve our oceans.

© Jason Edwards/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Aug 30, 2024Whale shark
Aug 30, 2025Whale shark

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Dec 19, 2024Sibiu Christmas Market, Romania
Jul 19, 2024A young jaguar, Pantanal, Brazil
Dec 11, 2023Huangshan Mountains, China
Jul 31, 2024Hoodoos, Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA
Sep 27, 2023French River, Ontario, Canada
Jan 14, 2026Fortress of Palamidi, Nafplio, Greece
Apr 22, 2025Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States
Oct 11, 2023The Painted Hills, Oregon, USA
Aug 25, 2023Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
Aug 25, 2024Glacier National Park, Montana
Mar 22, 2024Blue Spring, Te Waihou Walkway, New Zealand
Jun 6, 2025Common pheasant, Normandy, France
Jan 18, 2026White Sands National Park, New Mexico, United States
Oct 3, 2023Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Islands, Australia
Apr 1, 2025Tree frog, Costa Rica
May 17, 2025A delta in the Venetian Lagoon, Italy
Apr 29, 2025Garden at Château de Villandry, Loire Valley, France
Nov 25, 2024Maasai giraffes
Jan 29, 2024Golling Waterfall, Salzburg, Austria
Sep 7, 2025Gdańsk, Poland
Sep 27, 2025Tank Lakes, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington, United States
Jul 27, 2025Barracudas at Shark Reef, Ras Mohammed National Park, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
Oct 22, 2025Belogradchik Rocks, Bulgaria
Oct 29, 2025Ancient til trees in Fanal Forest, Madeira, Portugal
Feb 18, 2024Sperm whale
Apr 19, 2024Ring of Brodgar, Orkney, Scotland
May 5, 2025Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada
Sep 1, 2024River Thames, England, United Kingdom
Nov 2, 2024American bison in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
Mar 3, 2024Leopard in a tree, Kruger National Park, South Africa