Whale shark rolls to avoid turtle in WA Ningaloo Reef

A massive whale shark has proven its evasive agility on camera, barrel rolling away from a small sea turtle on Western Australia's Ningaloo Reef.

Being the largest fish in the ocean doesn't mean you have right of way, which was proved by the small sea turtle that forced the whale shark to take evasive action to avoid an underwater collision.

In a video uploaded to Australia's Coral Coast Instagram page, the gentle giant can be seen making a dramatic flip to avoid contact with a sea turtle.

"Gentle giants, and this video proves it," the caption says.

"This whale shark is mimicking its manta ray friends by barrel rolling away from a tiny turtle."

Whale sharks are the largest known extant species and have a lifespan of 70 years.