Here's how it works:
* Open Mouth: The whale shark opens its enormous mouth, taking in a huge amount of water.
* Gill Rakers: Inside its mouth are special structures called gill rakers. These are like combs that act as filters.
* Plankton and Small Fish: The water passes through the gill rakers, trapping tiny organisms like plankton and small fish.
* Water Exits: The filtered water then exits through the gills.
So, the whale shark uses its gill rakers to filter food from the water.