How Big Is a Whale Shark?

Author: Varsha Seshan

Illustrator: Mandar Mhaskar
How long is a whale shark?

Longer than a
giant grouper
But shorter than
a siphonophore.

2/11
How heavy is a whale shark?

Heavier than 100 common dolphins.

3/11
But lighter than a humpback whale.

4/11
How deep can a whale shark dive?

5/11
Down to 2,000 metres, but not
as deep as the Arabian Sea.

6/11
How fast can a whale shark swim?

Faster than
Greenland sharks.

7/11
But slower than
a swordfish.

8/11
How big is a whale shark?

Smaller than
a blue whale.

9/11
But bigger than any other fish in the sea.

10/11
Comparisons help us to make sense
of the world. They help us size up
the world around us.
Taller

Here are some ways to compare

Slower

Faster
Tinier

Heavier

Larger

11/11
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Images Attributions:
Cover page: A whale shark swimming happily, by Mandar Mhaskar © Pratham Books, 2021. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 2: Whale
shark with a giant grouper and a siphonophore, by Mandar Mhaskar © Pratham Books, 2021. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 3:
Whale shark and dolphins sitting on a seesaw underwater, by Mandar Mhaskar © Pratham Books, 2021. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.
Page 4: Whale shark and a humpback whale sitting on a seesaw underwater, by Mandar Mhaskar © Pratham Books, 2021. Some rights reserved. Released under
CC BY 4.0 license. Page 5: Underwater landscape of reefs and aquatic plants and animals, by Mandar Mhaskar © Pratham Books, 2021. Some rights reserved.
Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 6: A whale shark swimming among other aquatic animals, by Mandar Mhaskar © Pratham Books, 2021. Some rights
reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 7: Whale shark and Greenland shark swimming among many other fish, by Mandar Mhaskar © Pratham Books,
2021. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 8: A swordfish swimming among many other fish, by Mandar Mhaskar © Pratham Books, 2021.
Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 9: Whale shark swimming next to a blue whale, by Mandar Mhaskar © Pratham Books, 2021. Some
rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 10: Whale shark and other aquatic animals swimming around an island near a beach, by Mandar Mhaskar
© Pratham Books, 2021. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 11: Aquatic animals and plants of various sizes and weights, by Mandar
Mhaskar © Pratham Books, 2021. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.

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How Big Is a Whale Shark? A whale shark is a big fish. How big is it? Is it bigger than a blue
whale? Or smaller than a dolphin? Set in the marine world, this
(English) book introduces the concept of comparison.

This is a Level 3 book for children who are ready to read on their own.

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