Their diet consists primarily of:
* Plankton: This includes tiny organisms like copepods, krill, and phytoplankton.
* Small fish: These can include sardines, anchovies, and other schooling fish.
* Squid: Some species of squid are also small enough to be consumed by whale sharks.
The whale shark's enormous mouth and gill rakers (bony structures in their gills) work together to trap these organisms. The whale shark swims with its mouth open, filtering large amounts of water through its gills. The gill rakers then strain out the food, while the water passes through.
So, while whale sharks don't have specific prey animals, their diet is composed of a variety of small organisms they filter from the ocean.