To see photographs of the Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus) click here.
Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus)
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protected: © 2002 Kelvin Aitken. Photo © 2002 Dave Warth.
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The world's second largest fish is the Basking Shark
(Cetorhinus maximus) growing to 10 metres. This harmless giant
is greyish brown in colour with a long snout, tiny eyes and gill slits
that almost surround the head. The tail has a large upper lobe which,
along with the dorsal fin, is often seen protruding above the surface. The mouth is huge, opening to reveal the large gill arches which, with their sticky mucous covering, capture the plankton which make up their diet. Basking Sharks swim near or at the surface skimming for their prey.
Basking Sharks are seen in the northern and southern temperate hemispheres during spring & summer
with sightings more common in the Northern Hemisphere.
A huge oily liver — about 25 per cent of their body weight —
helps them to maintain neutral buoyancy. It is assumed that the gill rakers,
frilled filters attached to the gill arches, are lost during the winter
when they apparently hibernate in deep water. Despite being an important
commercial species, we know virtually nothing about its life or breeding
habits and this shark has been hunted close to extinction. In the United Kingdom they are now protected by law from commercial fishing.