How big is Whale shark?
Whale shark: 18.8 m (61.7 ft). Measured as length — the largest confirmed individual.
Source: Wikipedia — Whale shark
Where it sits
Among the 23 animals on this page whale shark ranks 2nd from the top by size. The largest in the group is blue whale at 29.9 m, which is 1.59× the size of whale shark, while the smallest, honey bee, is 13 mm.
Stand an adult of 1.7 m beside it and the ratio is 11.1×: you would need 11 people stacked head to foot to match its size.
In everyday distances
It fits inside a football pitch 5.6 times over — a pitch is about 105 m and whale shark is only 18.8 m.
Walking at an easy 1.4 m/s you cover 18.8 m in 13 seconds. A jet at 900 km/h covers it in 75 milliseconds.
Next to its neighbours in size
The nearest thing larger than it in this collection is blue whale at 29.9 m (98.1 ft), 1.59× the size. Both figures are the same kind of measurement, so the gap is a fair one.
The nearest thing smaller is humpback whale at 16 m (52.5 ft), so whale shark is 1.18× as big as it. They sit in the same group.
Against fixed yardsticks
Against three fixed yardsticks — Eiffel Tower (330 m) is 17.6× the size of whale shark; blue whale (29.9 m) is 1.59× the size of whale shark; Earth (12,742 km) is 677,766× the size of whale shark.
How this figure was taken
Animal sizes vary from one individual to the next, so each figure says which individual or average it describes. Heights are taken at the shoulder or standing; lengths run nose to tail tip unless stated.
How the sizes are taken. Each figure says what it measures — height, length, diameter or elevation — and for which individual or convention. Everything is drawn standing upright on one baseline so a single scale holds, including things that are long rather than tall. Values come from the linked Wikipedia article for each item.
Read the rest — common questions
How big is the whale shark?
18.8 m (61.7 ft), measured as length: the largest confirmed individual.
Where does the whale shark rank among animals?
Number 2 of 23 on this site, from blue whale at 29.9 m down to honey bee at 13 mm.
What is the next size up?
Blue whale, at 29.9 m, is 1.59× the size.
What is the next size down?
Humpback whale, at 16 m, is 1.18× smaller.
How reliable is the figure?
It is taken from the cited Wikipedia article and states its basis (the largest confirmed individual). Values are rounded, and where individuals differ the figure is a representative one, so expect small differences from other sources.