00:00Far beyond Fiji's reefs, the largest fish in the world drifts through the open ocean, the whale shark.
00:08Growing longer than a bus and weighing many tons, it is one of the ocean's true giants.
00:15Yet, despite its size, this remarkable animal feeds on some of the smallest creatures in the sea.
00:23Swimming slowly through plankton-rich waters, the whale shark filters enormous volumes of water through its wide mouth, capturing tiny
00:33organisms, fish eggs, and small schooling fish.
00:38Its body is covered in pale spots and stripes, forming a unique pattern that scientists use to identify individual animals.
00:47Around Fiji, whale sharks are most closely associated with offshore pelagic waters, outer reef systems, and areas where food becomes
00:58concentrated by currents and seasonal ocean conditions.
01:03Unlike many sharks, whale sharks are calm and non-aggressive, allowing divers and snorkelers rare opportunities to observe them in
01:13their natural environment.
01:14In Fiji's open ocean habitats, the whale shark represents one of nature's greatest contradictions, the largest fish in the sea
01:25feeding on some of the smallest life forms on Earth.
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