This term encompasses large sea creatures including whales, sea monsters, and huge fish. Matthew 12:40 uses it for the 'great fish' that swallowed Jonah, which Jesus employs as a sign of his coming death and resurrection. The French 'baleine' (whale) is most specific, while other translations keep 'great fish.' The ambiguity about species matters less than the sign's typology—three days in death's belly before deliverance.