How many whale sharks are at the georgia aquarium?

Quick Answer

As of February 2026, the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta creates a home for two whale sharks. These two individuals are males named Taroko and Yushan. They are the sole surviving whale sharks at the facility following the passing of the aquarium’s previous females, Alice and Trixie, in 2020 and 2021, and the original males, Ralph and Norton, in 2007.

The sharks inhabit the Ocean Voyager Built by The Home Depot exhibit, which is one of the largest single aquatic habitats in the world. Holding 6.3 million gallons of saltwater, this exhibit was specifically engineered to house large pelagic species like the Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) and manta rays. Taroko and Yushan were acquired from Taiwan in 2007, where they were destined for the seafood market before being rescued and transported to the United States.

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In-Depth Explanation

The presence of whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium is a feat of modern engineering and marine husbandry. Housing the largest fish in the ocean requires not just immense space, but precise water quality control, specialized feeding regimes, and 24-hour veterinary monitoring.

The Current Residents: Taroko and Yushan

The two current residents, Taroko and Yushan, arrived in Atlanta in June 2007. They were named after famous national parks in Taiwan (Taroko Gorge and Yushan National Park), honoring their country of origin.

Unlike killer whales or dolphins which have complex social hierarchies, whale sharks are largely solitary animals. However, in the Ocean Voyager exhibit, Taroko and Yushan share their space peacefully with thousands of other fish, including manta rays, grouper, and smaller sharks. They are distinguishable by their claspers (male reproductive organs) and distinct spot patterns, which act like unique fingerprints for every whale shark.

History of Whale Sharks in Atlanta

The Georgia Aquarium is historic for being the only aquarium in the Western Hemisphere to house this species (until very recently). The timeline of their whale shark population provides important context to the current number:

1. 2005 (The Pioneers): The aquarium opened with two males, Ralph and Norton. They were the first whale sharks to be kept in a North American aquarium.
2. 2006 (The Females): Two females, Alice and Trixie, joined the exhibit.
3. 2007 (Transition): Ralph and Norton passed away due to health complications. Later that year, Taroko and Yushan were imported to join the females.
4. 2020–2021 (Losses): Trixie passed away in late 2020, and Alice followed in 2021 due to age-related health decline and somatic complications.
5. 2026 (Current Status): The population remains stable with the two adult males, Taroko and Yushan.

The Ocean Voyager Habitat

To understand how the aquarium holds these giants, one must look at the habitat itself. The Ocean Voyager exhibit was designed with the dimensions of a football field.

• Volume: 6.3 million gallons (23.8 million liters).
• Filtration: The water is turned over and filtered completely every roughly 60 minutes to ensure pristine clarity and chemical balance.
• Viewing: Visitors view the sharks through a massive acrylic window measuring 61 feet wide by 23 feet tall, and via a 100-foot-long underwater tunnel.

This massive volume is critical. In the wild, whale sharks are highly migratory, often traveling thousands of miles. To replicate a suitable environment, the tank provides a “racetrack” shape that allows the sharks to swim continuously without needing to make sharp turns, simulating the open ocean current.

Diet and Husbandry

Feeding a filter feeder in captivity is a complex logistical challenge. In the ocean, a whale shark swims through clouds of plankton with its mouth agape. In an aquarium, simply dumping food in the water would clog the filtration systems.

Instead, the husbandry team utilizes a technique called “target feeding.”

• Method: Biologists use long ladles to pour food directly in front of the sharks’ mouths as they swim across the surface.
• Food: Their diet consists of a commercial gel diet, krill, and silversides (small fish), mimicking the nutrient profile of their wild diet.
• Volume: Each shark consumes dozens of pounds of food daily, though they are notoriously picky eaters compared to other sharks.

Conservation and Research Impact

The presence of Taroko and Yushan serves a scientific purpose beyond public display. Studying whale sharks in the open ocean is notoriously difficult due to their elusive nature and deep-diving habits. The Georgia Aquarium has leveraged its captive population to contribute significantly to global science:

1. Genome Mapping: Blood samples from the aquarium’s sharks helped map the entire whale shark genome, aiding in understanding their evolution and immune systems.
2. Growth Rates: By measuring Taroko and Yushan regularly, scientists have established baseline growth curves that help researchers estimate the age of wild sharks based on their size.
3. Blood Chemistry: Regular veterinary draw establishes “normal” blood values, which are used to assess the health of stranded or injured wild sharks.

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Key Comparisons

Understanding the scale of the Georgia Aquarium’s whale shark program requires comparison with both wild specimens and other large marine life exhibits.

Aquarium vs. The Wild

Feature	Georgia Aquarium Sharks	Wild Whale Sharks
Diet	Nutritious ladled gel, krill, and plankton	Plankton, fish eggs, small squid, copepods
Lifespan	Monitored medically; Trixie/Alice lived ~15+ years in care	Estimated 70–100 years (data is still limited)
Behavior	Conditioned surface feeding; continuous swimming	Deep diving (up to 1,900m); long-distance migration
Threats	None (veterinary care provided)	Vessel strikes, bycatch, pollution, microplastics

Whale Sharks vs. Other Aquarium Giants

Many visitors confuse the sheer size of the whale shark with other massive marine animals. It is important to distinguish them from cetaceans (whales).

• Blue Whale: The blue whale is the largest animal ever known, reaching 100 feet and 200 tons. No aquarium can house a blue whale; they are simply too massive and require vast open oceans to survive. The whale shark is the largest fish, maxing out around 40 feet.
• Killer Whale (Orca): Orcas are mammals, highly intelligent, and social. While formerly common in captivity, they require different care standards focusing on social interaction and psychological enrichment. Whale sharks, being fish, are driven primarily by olfactory (smell) and swimming instincts rather than complex social bonding.
• Beluga Whale: The Georgia Aquarium also houses beluga whales. Unlike the whale sharks, the belugas are mammals that breathe air, require surface interaction, and live in a much colder habitat (59°F vs. the whale shark’s tropical 75-78°F).

Global Context

While the Georgia Aquarium is the most famous western facility to house Rhincodon typus, they are not the only one globally.

• Kaiyukan Aquarium (Osaka, Japan): famous for its “Pacific Ocean” tank housing a whale shark.
• Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium (Japan): Successfully bred manta rays and has housed multiple whale sharks in one of the world’s largest tanks (1.98 million gallons—smaller than Georgia’s).
• Chimelong Ocean Kingdom (China): Holds the current record for the largest aquarium tank, housing multiple whale sharks.

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Related Questions

What do whale sharks eat in captivity?

In the wild, whale sharks filter plankton and fish spawn. At the Georgia Aquarium, they are fed a specialized diet of krill, small fish (silversides), and a nutrient-rich gelatin supplement. They are “ladle fed” by staff who walk along a gantry above the tank, pouring food into the water just ahead of the shark’s mouth to ensure they get their daily calories without fouling the water. For more details on their natural prey, see our guide on what do whale sharks eat.

How big is a whale shark compared to a bus?

A fully grown whale shark is comparable in size to a large school bus. While wild individuals can reach lengths of 40 feet (12 meters) or more, aquarium specimens are often slightly smaller or sub-adults. Even at 25-30 feet, they dwarf every other creature in the tank. For precise measurements, read how big is a whale shark.

Is a whale shark a whale or a shark?

Despite the confusing name, the whale shark is 100% shark (fish) and 0% whale (mammal). They breathe via gills, not blowholes, and have cartilage skeletons rather than bone. The “whale” part of their name comes solely from their immense size and their filter-feeding habits, which resemble those of baleen whales like the Humpback Whale. To understand the taxonomy better, check is a whale shark a whale or a shark.

Are whale sharks dangerous to the other fish in the tank?

No. Whale sharks are “gentle giants.” Their throat is the size of a quarter, meant only for swallowing tiny plankton and small fish. They pose no threat to the divers who clean the tank or the other species sharing the exhibit, such as the predatory sand tiger sharks or sawfish. This peaceful nature is vital for conservation education, proving that sharks are not mindless killing machines.