Study finds whale shark eating seagrass in first, making them world’s largest omnivores

‘The world’s largest omnivore is a fish’

Scientists have found that the whale shark, which grows up to 18 metres in length, is the world’s largest omnivore after a new discovery that a type of seagrass is a significant source of nutrition for the gigantic fish.

Up until now the creature was thought to be a filter feeder, observed eating tiny organisms like plankton, krill, crab larvae, tiny squid or fish, say researchers including those from the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

The new study, published in the journal Ecology, found that the floating macroalgae, Sargassum, is a significant source of food for the whale shark.