Largest Shark?

[sailorman]

Does anyone know what the name is of the largest Shark? I saw a picture of a really huge shark, it was black with spots. But it didn't say what kind it was.

[Grandpa]

The Whale Shark

10 Largest Sharks In The World - InfoBarrel

[DThewanderer]

Geeze, that article says that a whale shark can get 14 feet long and weight 14 tons and that they can live to be 70. I would love to see one of these up close!

[DragonAge]

The lucky thing about that shark is that it is not a natural predator so tends not to eat people. If it did it could eat a boat full of people in one bite!

[hummingbird]

I have seen pictures of a whale shark. I saw pictures once of a diver next to a whale shark. Of course the shark wasn't interested in eating the diver, but it was disconcerting to see it since the shark is so much bigger than the diver.

[Gentle Ben 1957]

The great thing about the whale shark is they feed on plankton, filter feeders. They do get large, well over 35 feet. I would add to the water volumn if one was to sneak up on me.

[Freebird11]

10 world's biggest sharks
Bigeye Thresher Shark
The bigeye thresher shark, Alopias superciliosus, is the largest shark in the world 10. The bigeye thresher is found in tropical oceans around the world and found at depths of up to 1,650 meters deep. Bigeye thresher sharks are purple-gray in color and can reach lengths of up to 15.1 meters long and can weigh up to 795 pounds.
Bluntnose Sixgill Shark
The shark Bluntnose sixgill, Hexanchus griseus, is the ninth largest shark in the world and is often referred to as a shark cow. The sixgill Bluntnose shark is a member of the
Hexanchidae family, most of their relatives are extinct. These color of sharks can range from tan / brown to almost black in color. These sharks are known to grow as large as 15.8 meters and some larger versions have been seen at all.
Shark
The thresher shark, like his younger brother "bigeye Jaws', is another large breed of shark that can grow to 18 feet. The thresher shark is the eighth largest shark known to man and is found in tropical oceans worldwide. Shark Sharks are thin, but do not let that fool you, these bad boys can weigh over 1100 pounds!
Great hammerhead shark
The great hammerhead, Sphyma mokarran is the largest of the hammerhead shark that grows to lengths of 20 feet. The great hammerhead sharks can be found throughout the world as most of the sharks in the warm tropical waters. While hammerhead sharks are a danger to humans, who tend to be more timid shark generally avoid humans. The heaviest hammerhead caught to date was a female trapped in pounds 1280 Boca Grande, Florida, USA.
Greenland shark
The Greenland shark, technically known as microcephaly Somniosus is a large shark that can be found in the North Atlantic Ocean, mainly near Greenland and Iceland. These sharks are known to grow to 21 feet long and live as long as 200 years. They are known to be longer-lived vertebrates (more creatures living with a spinal cord). While Greenland sharks tend to be a deep water sharks live at depths of up to 6600 feet, which have been filmed in shallow water depths as low as 24 feet.
Pacific Sleeper Shark
Pacific Shark bed, Somniosus pacificus, is another massive shark that are known to grow to 23 feet long and weigh 800 pounds. The only interesting part of the Pacific Sleeper is that they are one of the few sharks in the waters around the Polar Year. What also makes it interesting is that most live in deep water and is located at a depth of 6500 feet below the ocean surface.
Tiger Shark
The tiger shark, Galeocerdo cuvier shark is the fourth largest in the world with a maximum length of up to 24.3 feet! Humungous These sharks have been known to weigh up to 2.000 pounds and are known to be vicious. Not only do they eat many forms of marine life, are also known to attack human swimmers. Tiger sharks are known to live mostly in tropical waters of the world, but they are islands that surround it, especially common in the central Pacific Ocean.
Great White Shark
The great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, has to be one of the worlds most vicious sharks known. These sharks have been known to grow to 26.2 feet and weigh up to 5,000 pounds! The great white shark is the last survivor of his species in the genus, Carcharodon. Unfortunately for us as human beings white sharks are in great coastal waters through all the great oceans, so if you're on vacation, be sure to find out if the habitat of the beaches where you plan to swim!
Basking shark
The basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus is an absolute beast of a shark is the second largest fish in the world. The basking shark can grow to 40 feet and although it has been reported up to 19 tons! Fortunately, these sharks are predators of mammoth, as they are not filter feeders.
Whale Shark
The whale shark, R. typus is humungous shark worldwide. Fortunately, there are predators and are just another slow-moving filter feed like the basking shark. The whale shark can grow to 41 feet and weigh 15 tons! The whale shark is found in tropical oceans and warm waters, which have been known to live as long as 70 years. This species is said to have originated up to 60 million years!

[FreeWilly]

I saw a documentary that said the Megaladon shark may still exist. I don't get how they can even talk about that kind of shark exisiting without having proof. To make a documentary about it without any pictures is just silly. I did see an article recently about the whale shark. Apparently a diver was in the way of it as it was filtering plankton and almost got swallowed. That would've been scary.

[lefties]

Gentle giants,,we have many here in Philippines.

[ppine]

Good observations., they are filter feeders. A buddy of mine has spent a lot of his life moving other people's boats around the world. He was anchored off Catalina Is., CA one morning with his first cup of coffee and a whale shark swam slowly past his 30 foot sailboat. He said it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen at sea in 40 years.