News Animals

Whale sharks may be the world’s largest omnivores

The mysterious fish, long assumed to be strict meat-eaters, can digest plants

Tropical fish biologist Mark Meekan, in a dive suit, swims near the nose of a whale shark.

Tropical fish biologist Mark Meekan (pictured) and colleagues got up close and personal with whale sharks (one shown) off the coast of Australia, taking tissue samples in a bid to uncover what these ocean giants eat.

Andre Rerekura/AIMS

By Freda Kreier

- More than 2 years ago

Read another version of this article at Science News Explores

As Mark Meekan bobbed among swells in the Indian Ocean, he spotted a giant shadowy figure moving through the water.