International Whale Shark Day Aug 30, 2025

If you"ve never seen an over- 10-metre, polka-dotted fish gliding past coral reefs, you are missing out. Today is International Whale Shark Day, a reminder that these slow-motion giants need our attention. First observed in 2008, the day is used by researchers and marine advocates to spotlight conservation efforts and threats like vessel strikes, plastic pollution and unregulated tourism. Whale sharks are the biggest fish in the sea, but don"t let the word "shark" fool you. They"re plankton-eating giants with no interest in humans. Found in warm waters from the Maldives and Mozambique to Mexico"s Yucatán coast, they often show up in food-rich, calm waters. Their mouths can stretch over a metre wide, but they feed by suction, not biting.

© Bachir Moukarzel/Amazing Aerial Agency

palette

Today in History

Aug 30, 2023Celebrating sibling bonds
There’s more to Pisa than leaning towers
Aug 30, 2024International Whale Shark Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov 28, 2025Val Brandet, Brescia, Lombardy, Italy
Jan 8, 2026Starling murmuration over the ruins of Brightons West Pier, England
The lonely castle
Nov 21, 2023Grey seal pup
In the tropics, land greets sea warmly
Pick your paradise
Jul 23, 2025Vatican City, Rome, Italy
Jul 9, 2025Independence Day of the Argentine Republic
Stunning symmetry
A blue-tiful island
Swinging over Munich
Apr 9, 2024Black bear cub emerges into spring
Little Island, Big Sea
Apr 6, 2025Dolphins near Santa Maria Island, Azores, Portugal
Jul 21, 2024Kendwa village, Zanzibar, Tanzania
Like paint on a canvas
Blue hues and ceramic scenes of Porto
Mar 10, 2024Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India
Apr 17, 2024Rama Navami
How’s the air up there?
Dec 2, 2023Angkor, Cambodia
A sky full of stars
A natural spotlight
Saving and celebrating honey bees
Jul 6, 2025Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park, United States
Sep 15, 2023Udaipur, India
Dec 21, 2023Ljubljana, Slovenia
Jan 10, 2026The Matterhorn reflected in Lake Stellisee at sunrise, Zermatt, Switzerland
Mar 13, 2024Lake Magadi, Kenya
A puzzle for giants