Can I use this whale shark clipart commercially?

Yes. The whale sharks are free for personal and commercial use with no attribution required, so you can use them on dive shop brochures, souvenir shirts, classroom resources or ocean nursery prints you sell. See the UsefulPix Content License page for the full terms.

Is a whale shark a whale or a shark?

A shark. It breathes through gills and has a skeleton made of cartilage like other sharks, so it is a fish, not a mammal. The whale part of the name refers to its enormous size and its filter feeding, which is similar to how some large whales feed.

Are whale sharks dangerous to people?

No. Whale sharks eat plankton, fish eggs and small fish that they filter from the water, and they are not a threat to swimmers. Snorkelers and divers swim near them at sites around the world, usually under rules that ask people to keep a respectful distance and not touch them.

Where can people see whale sharks in the wild?

Whale sharks gather seasonally at a handful of well-known sites, including Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, Isla Holbox and the waters off the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, and Donsol in the Philippines. Local tour operators run trips during the months the sharks are present.

Free Whale Shark Clipart PNG — Watercolor Illustrations with Transparent Background

10 watercolor whale sharks with spotted blue-gray bodies and wide flat heads: side profile, top view, diving, rising, fins spread and tail raised, for ocean, nautical and marine science designs.

Free Download 10 Images 2048x2048 PNG Transparent Background Palette + DMC / Copic match

Click any image to view its color palette, DMC floss & Copic matches, and preview it on white, black or kraft.

Also in: Blue

Whale Shark #01

PNG

Whale Shark #02

PNG

Whale Shark #03

PNG

Whale Shark #04

PNG

Whale Shark #05

PNG

Whale Shark #06

PNG

Whale Shark #07

PNG

Whale Shark #08

PNG

Whale Shark #09

PNG

Whale Shark #10

PNG

All 10 images are free — download each one individually above.

✓ Free for commercial use — UsefulPix Content License →

2048x2048 · PNG · Transparent Background · No attribution required

Whale Shark clipart color palette & thread matches

Every Whale Shark PNG comes with its own color palette — HEX, RGB, HSL and CMYK values plus the nearest DMC embroidery floss and Copic marker, with downloadable swatches for Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate and GIMP. Click any image above to open it. These threads and markers recur most across the collection:

DMC floss

DMC 820 — Royal Blue Very Dark
DMC 931 — Antique Blue Medium
DMC 796 — Royal Blue Dark
DMC 312 — Baby Blue Very Dark
DMC 825 — Blue Dark
DMC 803 — Baby Blue Ult Vy Dk
DMC 939 — Navy Blue Very Dark
DMC 3755 — Baby Blue

Copic markers

B97 — Night Blue
BV29 — Slate
B99 — Agate
C-4 — Cool Gray No.4
T-0 — Toner Gray No.0
B39 — Prussian Blue
C-10 — Cool Gray No.10
B66 — Clematis

View the full Whale Shark watercolor palette →

HEX · RGB · HSL · Tailwind classes · CSS variables · WCAG contrast ratios — built from these colors.

Color palette for every Whale Shark image

Each image's dominant colors with its HEX value and the closest DMC embroidery floss and Copic marker. Choose View & download on any image to copy RGB, HSL or CMYK values and grab swatch files for Photoshop, Procreate, Illustrator and GIMP.

Whale Shark #01

HEX	DMC floss	Copic marker
#EBEEEE	DMC 3072 Beaver Gray Vy Lt	T-0 Toner Gray No.0
#457B97	DMC 517 Wedgewood Dark	B97 Night Blue
#6292A8	DMC 518 Wedgewood Light	B97 Night Blue
#C7DBE2	DMC 775 Baby Blue Very Light	C-2 Cool Gray No.2
#123E5D	DMC 796 Royal Blue Dark	BV29 Slate
#386681	DMC 824 Blue Very Dark	B37 Antwerp Blue

Whale Shark #02

HEX	DMC floss	Copic marker
#49719A	DMC 798 Delft Blue Dark	B28 Royal Blue
#6084A9	DMC 931 Antique Blue Medium	B66 Clematis
#8EADC9	DMC 3755 Baby Blue	B23 Phthalo Blue
#CEDCE8	DMC 3841 Baby Blue Pale	B91 Pale Grayish Blue
#7898B6	DMC 334 Baby Blue Medium	BV04 Blue Berry
#224369	DMC 796 Royal Blue Dark	BV29 Slate

Whale Shark #03

HEX	DMC floss	Copic marker
#1F3146	DMC 820 Royal Blue Very Dark	BV29 Slate
#364E67	DMC 3750 Antique Blue Very Dk	BV29 Slate
#4E6479	DMC 930 Antique Blue Dark	C-8 Cool Gray No.8
#678094	DMC 931 Antique Blue Medium	B97 Night Blue
#F3F5F5	DMC 762 Pearl Gray Vy Lt	T-0 Toner Gray No.0
#0F1928	DMC 310 Black	C-10 Cool Gray No.10

Whale Shark #04

HEX	DMC floss	Copic marker
#2C567B	DMC 803 Baby Blue Ult Vy Dk	B99 Agate
#183B5D	DMC 820 Royal Blue Very Dark	BV29 Slate
#527B9B	DMC 825 Blue Dark	B97 Night Blue
#F1F4F6	DMC 762 Pearl Gray Vy Lt	T-0 Toner Gray No.0
#091F3B	DMC 939 Navy Blue Very Dark	C-10 Cool Gray No.10
#6C8DA6	DMC 931 Antique Blue Medium	B66 Clematis

Whale Shark #05

HEX	DMC floss	Copic marker
#062149	DMC 939 Navy Blue Very Dark	BV29 Slate
#113B68	DMC 820 Royal Blue Very Dark	BV29 Slate
#1F4F7B	DMC 797 Royal Blue	B99 Agate
#467597	DMC 825 Blue Dark	B97 Night Blue
#6195B5	DMC 826 Blue Medium	B18 Lapis Lazuli
#88B3CD	DMC 3755 Baby Blue	B93 Light Crockery Blue

Whale Shark #06

HEX	DMC floss	Copic marker
#2B6487	DMC 312 Baby Blue Very Dark	B37 Antwerp Blue
#417592	DMC 517 Wedgewood Dark	B97 Night Blue
#5B899F	DMC 3760 Wedgewood Med	B97 Night Blue
#77A3B6	DMC 519 Sky Blue	C-4 Cool Gray No.4
#134267	DMC 796 Royal Blue Dark	B99 Agate
#B1C9D1	DMC 927 Gray Green Light	B52 Soft Greenish Blue

Whale Shark #07

HEX	DMC floss	Copic marker
#366389	DMC 312 Baby Blue Very Dark	B39 Prussian Blue
#194369	DMC 796 Royal Blue Dark	B99 Agate
#F4F4F2	DMC White White	T-0 Toner Gray No.0
#93ABC0	DMC 3755 Baby Blue	C-4 Cool Gray No.4
#071F3D	DMC 939 Navy Blue Very Dark	C-10 Cool Gray No.10
#648AA8	DMC 931 Antique Blue Medium	B66 Clematis

Whale Shark #08

HEX	DMC floss	Copic marker
#143E5E	DMC 796 Royal Blue Dark	BV29 Slate
#427190	DMC 824 Blue Very Dark	B97 Night Blue
#5E869F	DMC 931 Antique Blue Medium	B97 Night Blue
#789CB2	DMC 826 Blue Medium	C-4 Cool Gray No.4
#EBEFF1	DMC 3072 Beaver Gray Vy Lt	T-0 Toner Gray No.0
#04162E	DMC 939 Navy Blue Very Dark	C-10 Cool Gray No.10

Whale Shark #09

HEX	DMC floss	Copic marker
#2E516F	DMC 803 Baby Blue Ult Vy Dk	B99 Agate
#527B98	DMC 825 Blue Dark	B97 Night Blue
#3F6582	DMC 312 Baby Blue Very Dark	B39 Prussian Blue
#6E91A6	DMC 931 Antique Blue Medium	C-4 Cool Gray No.4
#89AFC3	DMC 519 Sky Blue	B93 Light Crockery Blue
#BFD6E2	DMC 827 Blue Very Light	B52 Soft Greenish Blue

Whale Shark #10

HEX	DMC floss	Copic marker
#3A617D	DMC 312 Baby Blue Very Dark	B99 Agate
#DBE2E3	DMC 928 Gray Green Vy Lt	C-1 Cool Gray No.1
#193B58	DMC 820 Royal Blue Very Dark	BV29 Slate
#7DA1B4	DMC 826 Blue Medium	C-4 Cool Gray No.4
#061831	DMC 939 Navy Blue Very Dark	C-10 Cool Gray No.10
#597B91	DMC 825 Blue Dark	B97 Night Blue

A shark, a filter feeder and the largest fish alive

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a shark, not a whale, and it is the largest living fish. Despite its size it eats some of the smallest food in the sea: it swims with its wide mouth open, or gulps water, and filters out plankton, fish eggs and small fish. It is harmless to people, which is why swimmers and divers can share the water with it. Its mouth sits at the very front of a broad, flat head, unlike most sharks, and its back is covered in a checkerboard of pale spots and stripes. Every whale shark's spot pattern is unique, so researchers identify individuals from photographs. The species lives in warm seas worldwide, gathers seasonally at places such as Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia and Isla Holbox in Mexico, and is listed as Endangered by the IUCN.

Ten gentle giants

Every whale shark in this set has the same signature look: a huge spotted blue-gray body and a wide flat head. The poses give you range. There is a whale shark swimming in side profile, one viewed from above to show the full spot pattern, one in a gentle downward dive and one swimming gently upward. Others show it with its broad tail fin raised, with pectoral fins spread wide, in a soft curved swimming pose, in three-quarter view and gliding forward calmly. The last is a rounded, friendly version that suits children's designs. No water, bubbles or seafloor are painted in.

Dive trips, ocean lessons and big-fish birthdays

Whale sharks draw a dedicated crowd. Dive shops and snorkel tour operators in whale shark destinations use them on brochures, booking pages and souvenir shirts, and travelers use them in trip scrapbooks and photo books. Teachers use the whale shark to start a favorite classroom debate, whether it is a whale or a shark, and to teach the difference between fish and mammals. Ocean-theme birthday parties, under-the-sea nursery art and aquarium field trip worksheets all suit the rounded friendly pose. International Whale Shark Day falls on August 30, a good date for conservation posts and fundraising flyers. Travel agents and marine conservation nonprofits can also build trip itineraries and adopt-a-shark certificates around the side-profile image.

Deep blues with white spots

The palette is the darkest in the ocean collection: royal blue, antique blue and deep baby blue, matched on this page to DMC floss such as 820 Royal Blue Very Dark, 796 Royal Blue Dark and 312 Baby Blue Very Dark, with white spots on top. For a size-comparison page, line it up with a shark and a whale. For a reef scene, add a sea turtle swimming alongside. More sea life is in the ocean hub, and the blue hub collects other blue-toned art.

Long shapes for bookmarks and banners

A whale shark is long and horizontal, so it fits formats other animals don't. Rotate the side-profile or gliding image to run vertically on a 2 x 6 inch bookmark, or stretch a row of them across a website banner or a party table runner printout. The top view is best for a spot-pattern activity: print it large and have students count spots or design their own unique pattern, the way researchers tell real whale sharks apart. Each file is a 2048 x 2048 px transparent PNG, about 6.8 inches at 300 DPI. Because the bodies are dark, they print well on white or pale aqua paper.

More free clipart

Whale

Ten watercolor clipart images of a smooth blue-gray whale: swimming, diving, fluke raised, long fins spread, and a baby whale. Made for nautical nurseries, baby showers, whale-watching flyers and ocean lessons.

Shark

10 watercolor clipart sharks with sleek gray torpedo-shaped bodies: side profile, dorsal fin raised, a top-down view, diving and rising swimmers, a rounded friendly pose and a small baby shark.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use this whale shark clipart commercially?: Yes. The whale sharks are free for personal and commercial use with no attribution required, so you can use them on dive shop brochures, souvenir shirts, classroom resources or ocean nursery prints you sell. See the UsefulPix Content License page for the full terms.
Is a whale shark a whale or a shark?: A shark. It breathes through gills and has a skeleton made of cartilage like other sharks, so it is a fish, not a mammal. The whale part of the name refers to its enormous size and its filter feeding, which is similar to how some large whales feed.
Are whale sharks dangerous to people?: No. Whale sharks eat plankton, fish eggs and small fish that they filter from the water, and they are not a threat to swimmers. Snorkelers and divers swim near them at sites around the world, usually under rules that ask people to keep a respectful distance and not touch them.
Where can people see whale sharks in the wild?: Whale sharks gather seasonally at a handful of well-known sites, including Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, Isla Holbox and the waters off the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, and Donsol in the Philippines. Local tour operators run trips during the months the sharks are present.