What order contains the whale shark and nurse shark?

The order containing both the whale shark and nurse shark is Orectolobiformes.

Orectolobiformes is commonly called the carpet-shark order. It includes the whale shark, Rhincodon typus, and nurse sharks in the family Ginglymostomatidae, along with wobbegongs, bamboo sharks, zebra sharks, and several other groups. The order is named for sharks whose patterns or body shapes can resemble decorated carpets.

Its members vary enormously in size and lifestyle. The whale shark is the largest living fish, reaching more than 12 metres, yet it is a gentle filter feeder that consumes plankton and other small organisms. Nurse sharks are much smaller, bottom-dwelling predators that use sensory barbels near the mouth to locate prey in sediments.

The order is identified by features such as five gill slits, two spineless dorsal fins, and a mouth that generally does not extend behind the eyes. The whale shark is an unusual-looking member because its spiracles sit behind the eyes, unlike those of most carpet sharks. Despite their differences, both species fit within the same evolutionary order.