Rhincodon typus
EN — Endangered

Rhincodon typus

Conservation status data sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

↓Decreasing

Population trend

86

Countries

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_shark

01 — Classification

Taxonomy & Classification

Kingdom

ANIMALIA

Phylum

CHORDATA

Class

CHONDRICHTHYES

Order

ORECTOLOBIFORMES

Family

RHINCODONTIDAE

Genus

Rhincodon

Rhincodon typus belongs to the family RHINCODONTIDAE, order ORECTOLOBIFORMES, within the CHONDRICHTHYES class.

03 — Habitat

Habitat & Distribution

Marine coastal/supratidalMajorMarine neriticMajorMarine oceanicMajor
04 — Threats

Threats

!

IUCN Red List: Endangered

Assessed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Garbage & solid waste

Ongoing

Habitat shifting & alteration

Ongoing

Oil & gas drilling

Ongoing

Recreational activities

Ongoing

Shipping lanes

Ongoing

Type Unknown/Unrecorded (pollution)

Ongoing
05 — Conservation

Conservation Actions

Site/area protection
Awareness & communications
Legislation
06 — Range

Found in 86 Countries

American SamoaAntarcticaAustraliaBahamasBahrainBelizeBeninBermudaBrazilBruneiCameroonCanadaCaribbean NetherlandsChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaCosta RicaCôte d’IvoireCubaDjiboutiEcuadorEgyptEquatorial GuineaFijiFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGhanaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaHondurasIndiaIndonesiaIsraelJapanKenyaMadagascarMalaysiaMaldivesMartiniqueMauritiusMayotteMexicoMozambiqueMyanmar (Burma)NauruNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaOmanPakistanPanamaPapua New GuineaPeruPhilippinesPortugalQatarRéunionSaudi ArabiaSeychellesSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSt. HelenaSt. LuciaSt. MartinSudanSurinameTaiwanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTrinidad & TobagoTürkiyeTurks & Caicos IslandsU.S. Outlying IslandsUnited Arab EmiratesUnited StatesVenezuelaVietnamWallis & FutunaYemen
07 — National Status

National vs Global Threat Status

How this species is assessed at the national level compared to its IUCN global status (EN).

CountryNational StatusGlobal StatusComparison
AustraliaVUVulnerableENEndangeredLower local risk
AustraliaVUVulnerableENEndangeredLower local risk
AustraliaVUVulnerableENEndangeredLower local risk

National Red List data sourced from the National Red List Project (nationalredlist.org, ZSL) and country-specific Red List authorities.

Community

Community Sightings

Report a sighting

No community sightings yet. Be the first to report!

07 — Sources

Sources & Attribution

How to Cite

IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS

GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org

National Red Lists: ZSL (2025). National Red List. Zoological Society of London. Available at: https://www.nationalredlist.org

This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Rhincodon typus (Rhincodon typus). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/whale-shark

Full citation guide & data usage terms