All sharks have lateral lines. The whale shark’s are visible and form distinct ridges on the lateral side, the lateral lines are a pressure sensing organ. Blow steadily on the palm of your hand and you can feel air movement? Now wave a finger between your breath and your hand and you can feel the interruptions in air movement or air pressure. The lateral line is a band of nerves running along each side of the shark from it's head to tail and it uses these bands of nerves to detect changes in water pressure. With this a shark can determine the speed, size and form of an approaching object moving through the water.