have 300 rows of teeth that play no role in feeding (Martins, C., and C. Knickle). Systematics and paleontology: Whale sharks were named Rhincodon typus by Andrew Smith, in 1828. The naming was hard due to the similarities between the family Ginglymostomatidae and the family Orectolobiformes. The closest relatives to the whale shark are nurse and zebra sharks. The whale shark is the only species in their family, Rhincondontidae. Whale sharks... ... middle of paper ... ...9-212. Norman, B