The Whale Shark

In the warm, shimmering waters of Thailand swims Atlas the whale shark, a gentle giant who likes things just the way they are: quiet, calm, and solitary. 

With a body the size of a school bus, a mouth wide enough to scoop up clouds of tiny food, and a slow, steady way of moving through the sea, Atlas spends his days drifting and thinking big thoughts.

But everything changes when a tiny, cheerful hitchhiker named Renea shows up … and refuses to leave.

At first, Atlas just wants his space back. But as he tries (and fails!) to shake his new companion, he begins to discover something surprising: sometimes the friend you didn’t ask for might be exactly the one you need.

Join Carie, Lincoln, and Eliza as they dive into the calm, curious, and captivating world of the ocean’s largest fish: the whale shark.

Kids will discover:

• How whale sharks eat using filter feeding (even with giant mouths!)
• Why these slow swimmers travel thousands of miles across the ocean
• What makes each whale shark’s spot pattern unique
• How animals can help each other through special relationships in nature

Keep exploring:

• Download a whale shark coloring sheet 
• Follow us on Instagram @wildandkindkidspod
• Show us your coloring sheet or request an animal: wildandkindkidspod@gmail.com
• Sign up for email updates

Learn along with us and explore some of the resources we consulted:

• Secrets of Whale Shark Migration Revealed (National Geographic) 
• Whale Sharks Have Tiny Teeth on Their Eyeballs (Smithsonian Magazine) 
• The Whale Shark (National Geographic Kids) 
• 5 Interesting Facts About Whale Sharks (The World Wildlife Foundation)

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Wild and Kind Kids, y'all. Are you ready to warm up your bodies?

SPEAKER_02 0:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:07

All right, today we are using our faces. Now, everybody, smile. Big smile. Wide smile. How wide can you stretch your smile? Wider? Can you stretch it so wide it feels silly? Now freeze. Because today's animal has a mouth that can stretch four to five feet wide. That's bigger than a snowboard. Bigger than your grown up's arm. Maybe even bigger than you. All right, try it again. Biggest, widest mouth you can possibly make. Yeah, still not even close.

SPEAKER_02 0:52

This is close to it long.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

Oh well, let's get learning. I'm Carrie, and I grew up on a zoo.

SPEAKER_01 1:04

I'm Lincoln. I'm a Isa. And we're the world about animals.

SPEAKER_00 1:10

Welcome to the Wild and Kind Kids Podcast. Well, hello, Lincoln and Eliza. Hi, Mom! Today we are covering a superlative animal. Do you all know what a superlative is? No. Okay. A superlative is like an award we give for being the most extreme in a group. So the world's smallest mammal.

SPEAKER_02 1:38

Bumblebee bat.

SPEAKER_00 1:39

Yes, the world's fastest animal.

SPEAKER_02 1:42

Pergen Falcon.

SPEAKER_00 1:44

Yes. The world's fastest land animal.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

Kita.

SPEAKER_00 1:48

Yes, you get it. And what an excellent promo for some of our past episodes. Well, today's animal is the world's largest fish.

SPEAKER_02 1:58

The whale shark.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

Yes. The whale shark is Earth's largest fish, and they are super cool. And today's animal was requested by Miles in Michigan.

unknown 2:12

Hi Miles!

SPEAKER_00 2:14

Miles, we loved learning about whale sharks. First of all, they are not whales. Whales are mammals. They breathe air and feed milk to their babies. But whale sharks are sharks. They're fish. They have gills and they live in the water full time. But they are giant, just like many other whales. Many grow up to 40 feet long, and some are even longer. And they can weigh more than 20 tons. So let's think about that for a second. That's a shark, the size of a school bus, slowly floating through the ocean. Whale sharks like warm water, so they live in oceans all around the world, especially near places like Mexico, the Philippines, the Maldives, Honduras, and Mozambique. And they look really unique. They have these wide flat heads, almost like a big rectangle, super thick bodies, and they are covered in white spots and stripes. And here's something kind of cool. No two whale sharks have the exact same spot pattern. Their spots are like fingerprints. Each pattern is totally unique. Okay, Lincoln and Eliza, what else did we learn about whale sharks?

SPEAKER_02 3:45

They are gentle giants. Even though they have huge mouths, they don't eat big things.

SPEAKER_00 3:52

Yes. So oftentimes when we hear the word sharks, we think about these big, fierce hunters. But whale sharks, the biggest of them all, are more like gentle giants. Even though their mouths can stretch four to five feet wide, they don't chomp things like you might imagine. Instead, they swim forward with their mouths open and they scoop up water full of tiny food, things like plankton, fish eggs, and little shrimp. And then something really amazing happens. They push the water out through their gills, which acts like a natural filter. It traps the food inside while the water flows back out. It's kind of like a giant underwater strainer. And here's a surprise: even though they don't really use them to eat, whale sharks actually have thousands of tiny teeth. But instead of biting, they let their gills do all the work. Okay, hit me with another fact, y'all.

SPEAKER_02 4:58

Whale sharks swim very, very slowly, but they can go a long way.

SPEAKER_00 5:07

That is right. Whale sharks cruise along at about the speed of a person walking, but over time, they can travel thousands of miles across the ocean. Scientists have been super interested in the whale shark migration for many years, wondering where they have babies and why they travel. And in a recent study, they tracked a whale shark migrating or traveling 5,000 miles. And scientists have tracked whale sharks swimming between countries and even across entire oceans, often gathering together at prime feeding spots. So could you walk thousands of miles in a year? Maybe not, but whale sharks swim it. Okay, another fact.

SPEAKER_02 6:00

Whale sharks have tiny teeth on their eyes. This is a very, very, very crazy fact.

SPEAKER_00 6:07

Yeah, I agree. This might be one of the wildest things I've ever read. It sounds unbelievable, but it is true. Whale shark eyes are covered in these little tooth-like scales called dermal denticles. It's like built-in armor to protect their eyes while they swim through the ocean. Scientists think these are especially important because whale shark eyes are on the outside of their head and they have no eyelids, which might make it easier for their eyes to get hurt. Because even when you're that big, you still need to protect the important stuff. Okay, one more fact, y'all.

SPEAKER_02 6:47

Some whale sharks eat while straight up in the water. It's a very crazy, wild, fun fact.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

Yes, scientists have seen whale sharks float upright. Almost like if they were people, they're standing on their tails with their mouths open at the surface. They do this when there is a lot of food in one spot, like a snack swarm. They open their mouths and they pull in water and filter out the food. This pressure from opening and closing their mouths helps them vacuum up the water and all the tasty animals they like to eat. Pretty cool. Alright, y'all. Let's meet one up close in our story of the day. In the warm, sunlit waters of Thailand, near a special spot called Sail Rock, there lives one very large, very spotted, and very independent whale shark named Atlas. Atlas likes things a certain way. He likes swimming alone. He likes eating alone. He likes thinking deep thoughts all alone. He likes thinking things like If the ocean never ends, where does it begin?

SPEAKER_02 8:19

Do my spots look the same to other whale sharks or just to me? And why does tiny food taste so good in such a big mouth?

SPEAKER_00 8:30

He doesn't need answers. Just thinking big thoughts is enough for Atlas. Most days it was exactly enough. But one morning, Atlas was gliding through a cloud of plankton, mouth open, breakfast practically swimming into him, when he felt a tiny tap tap on his side. Atlas blinked one eye, then the other. Excuse me, said a small, cheerful voice. Atlas slowly turned his enormous head. Stuck right there on his side was a tiny grey fish.

SPEAKER_02 9:17

I'm Renea, and I live here now.

SPEAKER_00 9:20

Atlas paused.

SPEAKER_02 9:22

Uh no you don't.

SPEAKER_00 9:24

Oh yes I do, said Renea, wiggling happily. Oh no you don't, Atlas said as he heaved his giant body through the water. He swooshed. He dove. He turned as fast as he could. But Renea, this stranger, held on tight.

SPEAKER_02 9:45

We five of five stars would ride again.

SPEAKER_00 9:52

Atlas sighed. Atlas sighed the biggest sigh a forty foot fish can sigh.

SPEAKER_02 10:01

Look, you seem nice enough, but I do not do roommates. Well you do now.

SPEAKER_00 10:09

Atlas tried to ignore her. He swam faster. Renea stayed. He dove deeper. Renea stayed. He swam in circles. Renea spun a little but stayed.

SPEAKER_02 10:28

Please leave. I can't. We're stuck together.

SPEAKER_00 10:32

Atlas groaned. This was not going to work. So Atlas made a plan. If he couldn't ask Renea to leave, he would lose her. First, Atlas zoomed toward a coral reef and squeezed between two giant rocks. Scrape Squish Atlas popped out the other side. He smiled to himself. Finally, peace and whoa shouted Renea.

SPEAKER_02 11:08

Did you see that? I had to flatten myself like a flounder. Do it again.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

Atlas blinked. Renea was still there. Next, Atlas dove deep into the dark, cool water. Down, down. Surely Renea would not like this. But from his side came a happy little voice.

SPEAKER_02 11:41

Ooh, it's like an ocean roller coaster.

SPEAKER_00 11:45

Atlas was starting to feel pretty frustrated. Finally, Atlas swam straight up. He floated upright as if he was standing on his tail, and he opened his giant mouth to feed. Maybe just maybe Renea would slip right off. But instead, she wiggled her way closer to his face.

SPEAKER_02 12:12

Hold still.

SPEAKER_00 12:14

I'm busy, Atlas replied, opening and closing his mouth to scoop up food.

SPEAKER_02 12:21

I know, I'm helping.

SPEAKER_00 12:23

Helping? Atlas paused. Renea darted along Atlas's skin, nibbling here, picking there.

SPEAKER_02 12:34

Got it. Got what? Your little chikas. Tiny parasites. They stick to your skin and bug you, but I eat them.

SPEAKER_00 12:45

Atlas froze mid-gulp.

SPEAKER_02 12:47

Wait, you've been cleaning me? Yep. Snacks for me and no itchy spots for you.

SPEAKER_00 12:55

Atlas thought about this for a minute. As a matter of fact, he didn't feel his usual little bites. There weren't any itchy patches he couldn't reach. He'd been so focused on losing Renea, he realized he had lost something else. He felt better. But he did not tell Renea that.

SPEAKER_02 13:20

You can't say Renea. I like being alone.

SPEAKER_00 13:24

Days went by in a similar pattern. Atlas tried to lose Renea. Renea cheerfully clung on. Then, on about day seven, Atlas found himself exhausted. Atlas and Renea drifted together in the quiet blue water. Renea looked out into the wide, wavy ocean.

SPEAKER_02 13:50

Hey, do you ever wonder something?

SPEAKER_00 13:54

Atlas blinked.

SPEAKER_02 13:56

No.

SPEAKER_00 13:57

Renea didn't seem to notice.

SPEAKER_02 14:00

Like, if the ocean never ends, where does it begin?

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Atlas froze.

SPEAKER_02 14:08

What? Like it has to begin somewhere, right?

SPEAKER_00 14:13

Atlas turned his enormous head very slowly.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

Right?

SPEAKER_00 14:20

He said with more enthusiasm than he expected.

SPEAKER_02 14:24

Like, where does it start? It has to start somewhere.

SPEAKER_00 14:27

Renea brightened.

SPEAKER_02 14:29

Oh good. I was hoping someone else wanted that.

SPEAKER_00 14:33

Atlas squinted.

SPEAKER_02 14:35

How long have you been thinking that? Oh, you know. Since about five minutes ago.

SPEAKER_00 14:42

Atlas huffed. But then very quietly.

SPEAKER_02 14:48

It's a good question.

SPEAKER_00 14:49

Renea beamed.

SPEAKER_02 14:52

I know.

SPEAKER_00 14:53

Atlas paused. For a moment he didn't swim. He just floated. And neither of them spoke. The ocean stretched out wide and blue around them. Then Atlas said very quietly You can stay. Renea grinned.

SPEAKER_02 15:14

Oh, I was never leaving.

SPEAKER_00 15:17

Atlas sighed. But this time it felt like a different kind of sigh. From that day on, Atlas still swam through the ocean. Still slow, still steady, still mostly quiet. But not quite alone. Renea was there, hanging on, cleaning, cheering. And for the first time, when Atlas had a deep thought, someone was there to wonder with him. And the thought he thought most of all, sometimes the friend you didn't ask for turns out to be exactly the one you need. Alright, y'all. As always, our story has a real science connection. Because fish like Renea are real. Renea is a rumora, also known as a sucker fish. They have a special suction cup on top of their heads that lets them stick on to big animals like whale sharks. And together, rumoras and whale sharks are better together buddies. That's right. They're an example of a symbiotic relationship in nature. Now those are big words. A symbiotic relationship is when two living things live closely together. Sometimes one of them benefits, and sometimes both animals benefit. And that's what is happening here. The remora gets a free ride through the ocean and an easy meal, snacking on tiny bits of food and even parasites on the whale shark's skin. And the whale shark? It gets a cleaning service. So even though Atlas didn't want a friend at first, it turns out they were helping each other all along. That's called mutualism, a kind of relationship where both animals benefit. Pretty cool, right? Before we go, it's time for your WildCon mission. And this is a theme you've heard us talk about before. Your mission is less plastic, more ocean magic. Specifically today, we're talking about skipping plastic that you only use once and then throw away, like straws, plastic cups, or plastic bags. Here's why this matters. Whale sharks are endangered. Scientists think there are fewer of them today than there used to be, maybe even half as many as there were 75 years ago. These gentle giants face a lot of challenges, like fishing, boat strikes, or changes to their ocean home. And because they are filter feeders, remember they scoop tiny food out of the water. They can accidentally swallow tiny pieces of plastic, too. And that is not good. But here's the amazing part. You, yes, you can help. When you have a choice, skip the plastic you just use once.

SPEAKER_02 18:51

And choose something you can use again.

SPEAKER_00 18:54

Like using a reusable water bottle or bringing a tote bag into a store. Because even a small choice made again and again can make a big difference for Earth's biggest fish. Thanks, y'all. We'll see you next week. This podcast is produced by John, also known as Lincoln and Eliza's dad. If you're enjoying these adventures, please subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Leave us a review and tell your friends. Check out the show notes to find a coloring sheet for today's creature. And explore more episodes at wildandkindkids.com. To show us your coloring sheet or request an animal for a future story, contact us at wild and kindkidspod at gmail.com. You can also find us on Instagram at Wild and Kind Kids Pod. Thanks for exploring with us, friends. Until next time.

SPEAKER_02 20:02

Keep your hearts kind and your curiosity wild.