Scientists are celebrating the discovery of the 38-centimetre (15-inch) baby whale shark - the tiniest living example of a species that typically grows to be as big as a bus. If all goes well, the docile little creature in the photo will one day measure 40 feet and weigh about 15 tons.

It definitely has a new lease on life after it was found Friday, March 6, 2009 with a rope tied around its tail, secured to a stick poked in the sand in a coastal town of Pilar near Donsol in Sorsogon province.