Author: Charles Joseph O. Nicolas & Leo Anthony C. Castro Published: August 30, 2026 Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus), locally known as Butanding, Tuki, or Tawiki, are the largest fish in the world. The Philippines, being an archipelagic country, is home to important whale shark habitats, including Donsol, Sorsogon, and Oslob, Cebu. The country also hosts the second-largest known whale shark population, with around 1,960 individuals cataloged (Large Marine Vertebrates Research