My name is Poseidon and I am a whale shark. I am also a Beanie Baby made by Ty Inc.

Whale sharks (Rhiniodontidae) weigh up to 20 tons and are the world's largest fish. They can be anywhere from 15 to 35 feet long with a maximum length of 50 feet. Although they have many teeth, they are all small and nonfunctional. Just like the largest whales, they like to eat tiny marine life called plankton. They swim along with their mouths wide open, swallowing water and filtering out those delicious little animals on their sievelike gill rakers that line their gills.

The slightly smaller Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus) gets food in a similar way, straining out food with its stiff gill rakers. They are considered part of the mackerel shark family. The Basking Shark has a streamlined shape and a more northerly range than the whale shark.

Other Oceanarium tanks include:

Crabs | Dolphin | Eel | Fish | Harp Seal | Manatee | Manta Ray | Octopus | Oceanarium | Orca | Otter | Seahorse | Sea Lion | Sea Star | Sea Turtle | Seal | Shark | Snail | Walrus | Whale | Whale Shark