If you came eye to eye with a whale shark, what would you see? You might be surprised if you held this gentle giant’s gaze and discovered the roughly 3,000 teeth surrounding the whale shark’s iris. The fish doesn’t have eyelids to provide protection. Instead, dermal denticles, which essentially translates to “skin teeth,” guard the more sensitive parts of the eye from debris. Let us know which species adaptations fascinate you! Photos by @ paulnicklen #photography #sharklife #shark #sharkweek Words by Mackenzie Govett