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Where do whale sharks live?
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shark
Shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus), found throughout tropical and temperate seas worldwide.
Whale sharks are not restricted to specific temperate zones like some other species; rather, they inhabit warm marine environments worldwide, primarily in tropical oceans.1
Their distribution is extensive:
- Atlantic Ocean: They range from the coast of New York to central Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. In the eastern Atlantic, they are found from Senegal and Mauritania to the Gulf of Guinea.1
- Indian and Pacific Oceans: They inhabit the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific. Sightings have been recorded near South Africa, the Red Sea, Pakistan, India, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Australia, and Hawaii.1
- Eastern Pacific: They are found from southern California to northern Chile.1
While they are primarily found in the open sea, they occasionally venture near the shore. As the largest living fish, these sharks are highly migratory, moving through these diverse warm-water regions throughout their lives.1