How do you transport a whale shark across the ocean?
Transporting a whale shark requires a custom-fitted Boeing 747 and specialized life-support tanks.
Moving the world's largest fish is a massive logistical challenge. For the Georgia Aquarium, whale sharks were flown from Taiwan to Atlanta in 6-meter steel containers equipped with oxygen and filtration systems. During the 17-hour flight, biologists monitored the water every minute to ensure the sharks remained stable. This operation is one of the most expensive animal transports in history, costing millions of dollars per shark.
Nerd Mode
The transport of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) to the Georgia Aquarium in 2005 and 2007 remains a landmark in marine logistics. The aquarium partnered with UPS to use a Boeing 747-200 freighter specifically modified to carry the weight of the water and the life-support systems. Each shark was housed in a custom-built steel tank measuring approximately 20 feet long and weighing over 50,000 pounds when filled.To keep the sharks alive, the tanks featured a closed-loop life-support system that continuously infused pure oxygen and filtered out carbon dioxide and ammonia. Biologists from the Georgia Aquarium and the Taiwan Fisheries Research Institute monitored the animals every 60 seconds during the 8,000-mile journey. This was critical because stress causes a shark's metabolism to spike, which can deplete oxygen levels in the water dangerously fast.The total cost for these operations reached into the millions of dollars due to the specialized equipment and fuel requirements. Upon arrival at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the tanks were moved by flatbed trucks under police escort to the aquarium's 6.3-million-gallon Ocean Voyager exhibit. This exhibit was specifically designed by the architectural firm TVS Design to accommodate these massive filter feeders, which can grow up to 40 feet in length.
Verified Fact
FP-0009289 · Feb 21, 2026