Final answer:
The largest sharks and whales, such as the whale shark, are filter-feeders that extract food like plankton from water, differing from carnivorous sharks with sharp teeth used for capturing prey.
Step-by-step explanation:
The largest sharks and whales are typically filter-feeders. Filter-feeding is a form of suspension feeding where animals filter large volumes of water to extract their food, primarily consisting of plankton. A classic example is the whale shark, which can grow over 10 meters in length. Unlike most carnivorous sharks, which use their jaws and sharp teeth to capture and consume live prey or tear it into smaller pieces, filter-feeding sharks have evolved a feeding strategy to exploit the abundance of plankton in marine environments. This method of feeding is less energy-intensive and supports their large body size by allowing them to consume large quantities of small organisms present in sea water.