International Whale Shark Day Aug 30, 2024

On August 30, India unites with the global community to shine a spotlight on whale sharks. Originally discovered off South Africa"s coast in the 1820s, these creatures have patrolled the seas for more than 240 million years. The whale shark holds the record as the largest fish on Earth, reaching lengths up to 12 metres, with one exceptional individual measuring a remarkable 18.8 metres. Found in tropical oceans around the world, these filter feeders glide through the water, mouth wide open, straining plankton and small fish. Each pattern on their dotted, starry skin is as unique as a human fingerprint.

© Andy Lerner/Tandem Stills + Motion

palette

Today in History

Aug 30, 2023Celebrating sibling bonds
There’s more to Pisa than leaning towers
Aug 30, 2025International Whale Shark Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Oct 31, 2023Füzér Castle in the Zemplén Mountains, Hungary
Jan 21, 2026Sand dunes in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan
Part science experiment, part public park
Feb 17, 2025Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
All is calm
What are these beautiful birds?
Jan 22, 2026Karlovy Vary, Bohemia, Czechia
Let the Great Backyard Bird Count begin!
Nov 26, 2025Olive orchard in the Serra de Tramuntana, Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain
A day for cousins of every stripe
Mar 23, 2026World Meteorological Day
Jun 17, 2026Tremola Road on the Saint Gotthard Pass in Airolo, Switzerland
Mar 19, 2026Short-beaked echidna, Adelaide Hills, Australia
Oct 23, 2023Corn maze in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania
A one-of-a-kind splash
Mar 13, 2024Lake Magadi, Kenya
Fourth rock from the sun
Jul 5, 2024Daintree Rainforest and Noah Beach, Queensland, Australia
Gravity-defying wonders of the world
Tomb of the Golden Pharaoh
Mar 12, 2026Juvenile sunbittern displaying at nest, Ecuador
This magical beach is worth the hike
Himalaya mountain range
Widespread and long-eared
Jan 5, 2026A herd of impalas, Londolozi Game Reserve, South Africa
When landscape met wilderness
Jan 1, 2026Happy New Year!
Jul 31, 2025Kalalau Beach on the Nā Pali Coast, Hawaii, United States
Oct 12, 2023Old barn and canola field, Palouse region, Idaho
Aug 15, 2025Independence Day