whale shark
6
3.5
- noun
- /ˈweɪl ʃɑrk/
:
tiburón ballena
- Africa is filled with danger, but it is also a land of wonder, and Becx has had the good fortune to witness the great migration, dive with whale sharks, track free-range black rhino, and sit alone for hours watching cheetahs.
- swim with whale sharks
- see a whale shark
- two whale sharks
Everything since we've been here has been chaos, but we think we're about to get to see the whale sharks.
- Everything since we've been here has been chaos, but we think we're about to get to see the whale sharks.
- Yeah, it's underwater, scuba diving, whale sharks, it's everywhere.
- That confluence means it's like a haven for several species of whale, several species of sharks, whale sharks, sea lions, you name it.
- And if it's in a hoop spot, or even if it isn't, maybe they can upload data in a related way to show here are my images of whale sharks.
Examples
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Visit the Gorgonian Forest for a medley of sharks, including schools of 50 or more scalloped hammerheads and even whale sharks.
Blog text (3) -
The aquarium currently houses four whale sharks (two male and two female).
Blog text (20) -
Swimming with a whale shark is definitely high up on the list.
Blog text (29) -
Now, the best way to think of the whale sharks they're like big puppy dogs.
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Whale sharks occasionally swim into the nets and become trapped.
Blog text (27) -
A friend of ours goes diving regularly, and the last time he went diving off our North Coast, he got to swim pretty close to a whale shark, which I believe was massive and very gentle.
Blog text (8) -
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest species successfully handled in captivity.
Academic text (1994) -
Regular visitors also include snappers, sailfish, marlin, manta rays, reef sharks, and an occasional whale shark.
Academic text (1995) -
I reported on an example of the basic biology a while back when I wrote about the extraordinary afuera whale shark aggregation in Yucatan, Mexico, where at times over 400 whale sharks gather in the same place at the same time.
Blog text (20) -
The gentle whale shark glided gracefully through the warm waters, filtering plankton with its massive mouth.
Synonyms
A very large, slow shark with spots that eats tiny sea animals near the sea surface
How Big
6
3.5
11
2.9
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
8.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound 'whale shark' is compositional: combining 'whale' (very large marine animal) with 'shark' yields the notion of a very large shark, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the intended meaning. This follows a common modifier+noun pattern found across languages, making the sense immediately accessible (though learners may need to note it is a shark, not a whale).
Etymology
The name whale shark comes from the idea of a whale-sized shark. This huge animal swims slowly and 'filters' tiny sea creatures from the water like some whales, so the name explains why it means 'a very large, gentle shark'.