Sondra Burrell, age 12, of Lansing, Mich., for her question:

WHICH FISH IS THE BIGGEST?

You may not think of the shark as a true fish because he has no fish scales or fishy type fins. Besides, he has gill slits instead of the usually fishy gills; and instead of brittle fishy bones he has a skeleton made of gristly cartilage. Nevertheless he is a true fish  a member of the oldest group of fishes in the world.

Many members of the shark group are whoppers, and we tend to think of them as man .eating monsters. It is wise to beware of warnings that sharks may be prowling along our beaches. But there is no need to fear the whopping whale shark  This lazy, gentle fellow feeds on plankton, and he is the largest fish in the sea. His average length is 50 to 65 feet. But a record whale shark was found to be 70 feet long, with an estimated weight of 70 tons.