WHALE SHARK and Snorkeller - mouth open feeding. 60ft long. (Rhincodon typus). Australia - Worldwide. North West coast Australia. Ningaloo Marine Park. The diver was snorkelling with his aunt who is the well known underwater photographer, Valerie Taylor, off Australia's north-west coast, at Ningaloo Reef, when the huge, 60 ft whale shark appeared out of the blue. Although the whale shark does not really have dangerous teeth it does have a huge mouth which it keeps open as it swims, sucking in vast mouthfuls of water and feeding on microscopic plankton which it filters out with its thousands of tiny teeth. I guess it could have sucked in the diver too but apparently seemed quite pleased to have him swimming alongside, though I don't believe he hung around for too long! Whale sharks are one of the last great mysteries of the sea and have lived in the ocean since the time when dinosaurs walked the earth. They are probably the root of various sea myths, e.g. Jonah who was swallowed by a whale from the Bible stories of old! Very unusual for diver to be so close with mouth open. Distribution: found in tropical warm oceans and seas, worldwide.