Whale shark

Whale shark — Temporal range: 60–0 Ma …   Wikipedia

Whale shark — Whale Whale, n. [OE. whal, AS. hw[ae]l; akin to D. walvisch, G. wal, walfisch, OHG. wal, Icel. hvalr, Dan. & Sw. hval, hvalfisk. Cf. {Narwhal}, {Walrus}.] (Zo[ o]l.) Any aquatic mammal of the order {Cetacea}, especially any one of the large… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Whale shark — Shark Shark, n. [Of uncertain origin; perhaps through OF. fr. carcharus a kind of dogfish, Gr. karchari as, so called from its sharp teeth, fr. ka rcharos having sharp or jagged teeth; or perhaps named from its rapacity (cf. {Shark}, v. t. & i.); …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

whale shark — whale′ shark n. ich a tropical shark, Rhincodon typus, ranging in size from 30 to 60 ft. (9 to 18 m) and having small teeth and a sievelike structure over the gills for catching plankton • Etymology: 1880–85 …   From formal English to slang

whale shark — n. the only species (Rhiniodon typus) of a family (Rhiniodontidae, order Orectolobiformes) of huge, spotted, egg laying sharks that live in warm seas, have many small teeth, and feed on plankton and small fishes by means of gill strainers: the… …   English World dictionary

whale shark — noun large spotted shark of warm surface waters worldwide; resembles a whale and feeds chiefly on plankton • Syn: ↑Rhincodon typus • Hypernyms: ↑shark • Member Holonyms: ↑Rhincodon, ↑genus Rhincodon * * * noun …   Useful english dictionary

whale shark — Liver Liv er, n. [AS. lifer; akin to D. liver, G. leber, OHG. lebara, Icel. lifr, Sw. lefver, and perh. to Gr. ? fat, E. live, v.] (Anat.) A very large glandular and vascular organ in the visceral cavity of all vertebrates. [1913 Webster] Note:… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

whale shark — a tropical shark, Rhincodon typus, ranging in size from 30 to 60 ft. (9 to 18 m), having small teeth and a sievelike structure over its gills for catching plankton. [1880 85] * * * Species (Rhincodon typus) of gigantic but harmless shark found… …   Universalium

whale shark — bangininis ryklys statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Rhincodon typus angl. basking shark; whale shark rus. китовая акула; китообразная акула ryšiai: platesnis terminas – bangininiai rykliai …   Žuvų pavadinimų žodynas

whale shark — noun A very large spotted shark, Rhincodon typus, of warm marine waters, similar to a whale, that feeds by filtering plankton from the water …   Wiktionary

whale shark — noun Date: circa 1885 a shark (Rhincodon typus) of warm waters that has small teeth, feeds chiefly on plankton strained by its gill rakers, may sometimes attain a length of up to 60 feet (18.3 meters), and is the largest known fish …   New Collegiate Dictionary