Underwater videographers on a whale shark expedition got up close and personal with the world’s largest fish as they filmed these ocean giants slurping up plankton from the water.
“Can you guess why whale sharks are also called ‘swimming mouths’?” says Biopixel Oceans Foundation.
In the footage, the camera can see right inside the shark’s gaping mouth as it swims along at the surface.
“Pretty amazing to get a close-up look and see the gills, which filter tiny zooplankton from the water,” says Biopixel Oceans Foundation.
"And yes, that’s all the largest shark in the world really wants… Although this particular one was exceptionally interested in Andrew Lomakin and our Red digital cinema camera!”
A whale shark’s mouth is a staggering 1.5 metres wide – that's as wide as a small car – and filled with thousands of teeth. But these gentle giants are filter-feeders and are totally harmless to humans.
Image and video credit: whale shark mouth/Biopixel Oceans Foundation, Andrew Lomakin
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