Whale shark

Photo: Jean-Paul Cassez · CC BY-NC

Whale sharks are the world's largest fish and filter feeders, consuming massive quantities of zooplankton, fish eggs, and small schooling fish as they cruise open water with their enormous mouths agape. Seasonal aggregations off Sainte-Marie coincide with warming surface temperatures that concentrate their planktonic prey. Despite their size — adults commonly reach 8 to 10 metres — they are completely harmless to divers and are typically slow-moving and tolerant of close approach.