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:

Jun 14, 2025Cinque Torri, Dolomites, Italy
Mar 17, 2025Samuel Beckett Bridge, Dublin, Ireland
Feb 15, 2026Humpback whales, Monterey Bay, California, United States
Feb 11, 2026Badwater Basin, Death Valley National Park, California, USA
Jul 10, 2024Collared aracari
May 31, 2025Knuthöjdsmossen nature reserve, Sweden
Nov 18, 2023Polar bear mother and cubs
Apr 6, 2026Hirosaki Castle with cherry blossoms, Hirosaki, Japan
Dec 29, 2025Étretat, Normandy, France
Aug 4, 2024Impala and red-billed oxpecker, South Africa
Apr 2, 2024Beech trees and anemone wildflowers, Jutland, Denmark
Aug 10, 2025Lioness in Kenya
Oct 23, 2023Corn maze in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Nov 17, 2023Copper Falls State Park, Wisconsin, USA
Aug 29, 2025Aerial view of Plaza Mayor, Madrid, Spain
Sep 20, 2025Swing carousel at Oktoberfest, Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Aug 3, 2025Sunflowers
Sep 25, 2025Chittorgarh Fort, Rajasthan, India
Dec 5, 2024Tufa formation on Mono Lake, California, United States
Oct 15, 2023European hedgehog
Dec 4, 2023Cheetah and her cubs
Nov 2, 2023Death Valley National Park, California, USA
Jan 30, 2026St. Michaels Mount in Marazion, Cornwall, England
Jan 3, 2025Radcliffe Camera and All Souls College, University of Oxford, England
Jul 22, 2025Badlands National Park, South Dakota, United States
Jan 7, 2025Moeraki Boulders, South Island, New Zealand
Oct 29, 2023Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia, USA
Feb 1, 2026Colourful house in Olinda, Brazil
Nov 30, 2023The Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK
May 26, 2024Methow Valley, North Cascades, Washington, USA