Basking Shark
The second largest known fish in the world, the basking shark may look scary, but it’s a harmless filter feeder.
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Lamniformes
Family: Cetorhinidae
Genus: Cetorhinus
Species: C. maximus
Common Names: Basking Shark, Bone Shark, Elephant Shark, Sun-fish
Though their large size and body shape often lead to misidentification of basking sharks as great whites, they are very different animals in terms of behavior. Basking sharks are not apex predators, but filter feeders. They swim slowly near the surface, forcing water through their open mouth. The water is filtered through the gill rakers in their throat, that separates the tiny plankton it feeds on from the surrounding water. Though they tend to be slow swimmers, they have been known to leap completely out of the water, for reasons that scientists don’t quite understand.
Basking sharks are typically solitary animals that prefer warm and temperate waters throughout the world. Sometimes they may congregate in small schools where food is plentiful. Very few predator animals eat basking sharks, though orcas are known to feed on them.
Basking sharks are ovoviviparous, which means that their young grow in eggs within the mother shark’s body, and hatch before being live as pups. Pregnancy is believed to last over a year, and may last for up to three years, though scientists don’t know for sure. Newborn sharks are fully formed and already typically measure between five and six feet long.
The basking shark is a massive fish, second only in size to the whale shark. It can grow up to nearly 40 feet in length. Its body is similar to that of other mackerel sharks, such as the great white, with a long, streamlined body with a tapering snout, and pointed fins. However, unlike other mackerel sharks, its mouth isn’t full of large, sharp teeth.
Basking shark’s teeth are much smaller, and it is often seen swimming with its mouth open wide and yawning, in order to ingest large amounts of water and filter out the tiny organisms it feeds on.
Basking sharks are in the order Lamniformes, also known as the mackerel sharks. This group contains the great white shark, the mako shark, the salmon shark, the thresher sharks, the sand tiger shark, and the goblin shark.
Many strange carcasses that have been caught in fishing nets or discovered washed up on shore that bear resemblance to sea monsters or extinct plesiosaurs have actually turned out to be misidentified basking sharks. When the shark dies, much of its body decays and leaves behind only certain parts, like fins and the spinal column, which create the illusion of a long-necked serpentine animal.
Despite their similar appearance and relation to more feared sharks like the great white, basking sharks are completely harmless and docile. They are popular for dive and boat tourism, as they do not fear boats or humans and will allow them to approach.
Throughout history the basking shark has been a popular shark for commercial fishing, used for meat, leather, and oil. While fishing still occurs in some areas, its numbers have depleted to the point that it is considered endangered and it has been granted protection in many territories.
References
Castro, Jose I. (2011). The Sharks of North America. NewYork, New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basking_shark
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