Endangered· population decreasing· assessed 2025

Whale Shark

Rhincodon typus

Sighting evidence at Whale Shark Cleaning Station, Lankayan Island

Photo: L Timmo · CC BY-NC

Lankayan hosts one of Southeast Asia's most reliable whale shark aggregations, with individuals returning repeatedly to the cleaning station to have parasites removed by wrasse. Juveniles 4 to 8 metres long are most common, feeding on zooplankton concentrated by upwellings over the sandy shelf. Encounters are typically calm and prolonged as the sharks move slowly at snorkel depth.

Evidence at this site

0 records within 25 km

Confidence: low

No date on file

How is this calculated?

Sighting evidence is compiled from iNaturalist observation records within a set proximity radius, filtered for quality-grade observations. “Last confirmed” is the date of the most recent research-grade record. Record count covers a rolling 24-month window. Confidence reflects record count, recency, and consistency of seasonal signal.

Whale Shark

Evidence at this site

Also seen at other sites