Whale Shark

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Probability
1	Coiba National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	40–50%
2	Galápagos Islands	🇪🇨 Ecuador	10–20%
3	Isla del Coco National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
4	Machalilla National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	Insufficient data
5	Bahía de Loreto National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Whale Shark in Galápagos Islands?

About 11% of visitor-days record a Whale Shark sighting in Galápagos Islands, based on 13 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.

When is the best time to see Whale Shark in Galápagos Islands?

August has the highest sighting rate for Whale Shark in Galápagos Islands in our monthly data.