The mouth was held slightly open, and the skin over the gill openings was quivering as water flowed steadily out the gill slits in the typical ventilation of pelagic sharks. Generally, whale sharks are encountered singly but loose aggregations of over 100 animals have been seen, which suggests that schooling activity does occur. Scientists do not know whether sexual segregation, either locally or geographically, occurs. A streamlined body and a depressed, broad, and flattened head characterize the whale shark. The mouth is transverse, very large and nearly at the tip of the snout.
Gill slits are very large, modified internally into filtering screens.
The first dorsal fin is much larger than the second dorsal fin, and set rearward on body. 271 Coloration Whale sharks are greyish, bluish or brownish above, with an upper surface pattern of creamy white spots between pale, vertical and horizontal stripes. The belly is white. The function of the distinctive pattern of body mark is unknown. Many bottom-dwelling sharks have bold and disruptive body markings that act as camouflage through disruptive coloration.