The basking shark is the second largest shark in the world, only surpassed by the whale shark and, also, is one of the three planktivorous sharks. It is a “kind” shark for divers, despite its size and the impressive mouth that it possesses.

It belongs to the order Lamniformes, to the family Cetorhinidae and the genus Cetorhinus.

Description

The most impressive feature of the basking shark is its mouth, which opens up to 1 meter wide. It has a conical body covered with a layer of mucus, gray or brown skin on the back and white on the belly. Its dorsal and pectoral fins are so large that they can reach 2 meters each and its tail is crescent moon shaped.

It has a conical snout and large gills. Inside its mouth, this shark has several hook-shaped small teeth. Its liver is about 25 percent of its total body weight and is rich in squalene, a substance that helps the shark to float.

Its liver is about 25 percent of its total body weight.

Its weight ranges between 3,000 and 6,000 kilograms, and its length is around 6.7 and 8.8 meters.

Characteristics of the basking shark.
Basking shark – Cetorhinus maximus

Distribution and Habitat

The basking shark inhabits all oceans of the world, but it prefers the subpolar seas and in general cold and temperate waters of the continental shelves. It was recently discovered that it goes as far south as the equator and dwells into warmer waters.

Its habitat changes according to the food availability. In summer it goes to coastal areas to feed abundantly on copepods, but as soon as the winter begins, it migrates to cold water areas. Sometimes it gets close to the coast, and its great body is seen below the surface following concentrations of plankton near the surface.

Basking Shark – Cetorhinus maximus.

Feeding

Like the whale shark and the megamouth shark, the basking shark mainly feeds on plankton, so it is not a common predator. But unlike the other two species, it does not seem to actively seek for food or use the muscles of its head to suck water, instead, it usually swims with its mouth open and catches whatever it goes through. When the water passes through its gills, the spines of the gills rakers separate the plankton from the water. The shark closes the mouth and then pumps the water out through the gills.

The basking shark relies on the guidance of its large olfactory bulbs to detect food. It is a passive eater that can filter around 1,500-2,000 cubic meters of water per hour to obtain sufficient quantities of zooplankton, which also includes fish and small crustaceans, invertebrate animal larvae and fish eggs or larvae.

It feeds near the ocean surface, especially when plankton is abundant. Although it has hundreds of small teeth, it does not use them when feeding.

Behavior

The behavior of the basking shark is still unknown except for some information obtained from the observations. The motto of “basking” was got because it spends a long time feeding under the sun. One theory states that it prefers to feed in surface waters when there is abundant plankton in that part of the ocean, and at the same time it drops the spines of its gills. These are then renewed and so on, in a continuous seasonal process.

During the winter there are no sightings of basking sharks near the surface. Therefore scientists think that they migrate to deeper southern waters until the next summer. During this season many individuals are seen on the coasts of Iceland and northern Europe as they travel there to mate.

Its English name “basking shark,” means “taking the sun”.

The sturdy body and slow movements of the basking shark are not an impediment to jump out of the water trying to shed its parasites. It is also a relatively social animal because sometimes it forms small groups divided according to sex. Sometimes, they can form schools of up to 100 members.

Its English name “basking shark,” which means “taking the sun,” comes from its habit of swimming very close to the surface with the dorsal fin out of the water.

Reproductive Habits

The basking shark is ovoviviparous and reaches sexual maturity when it reaches a particular size; The male can reproduce if it already has a length of 1.5-1.8 meters and the female reaches sexual maturity when it has a length between 4 and 5 meters.

The type of reproduction, it is believed to be ovoviviparity. Fertilization is internal, and the embryos develop within the mother’s body in a yolk sac and without placental attachment. It is very likely that unborn babies practice oophagy.

Researchers are not yet sure of the length of the gestation period. The most accepted theory is that it lasts one year, but can be extended to 2 or 3 years. There is also no accurate knowledge about the number of offspring delivered, but once a pregnant female found had six developing pups inside, so perhaps the number is not very large. Once born, the little ones move away from the mother to start living on their own.

The basking shark gives birth only once every two to four years and its life expectancy is 50 years.

Threats and Conservation

The fishing of this shark has been very frequent for several centuries to obtain and to trade the meat, the oil, the liver, the cartilage and the fins. The oil, liver, and fins are still valued today, and this has caused serious problems for the survival of this shark that the IUCN Red List classifies it as a “Vulnerable” species.

For about 20 years, populations have drastically reduced and have not recovered yet. Fortunately, the situation put some countries on alert, and the species is now under protection in territorial waters of some countries like United States, United Kingdom, and New Zealand. Also, the commercial fishing of this species is banned in many regions.

Sources:

http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/nefsc/Narragansett/sharks/basking.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/z94hvcw/revision

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basking_shark

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/4292/0

http://www.arkive.org/basking-shark/cetorhinus-maximus/

https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/discover/species-profiles/cetorhinus-maximus

BioExpedition Publishing © 2017.

Basking Shark Encounter

Basking Shark in the Irish Sea

There are many species of sharks found in the oceans around the world.

Some of them are very big while others are quite small. Some of them are to be feared while others mind their own business and they are very calm. You may be surprised to learn some of the largest species of sharks in the ocean are the nicest ones to encounter.

This information will help you identify some of the common species of sharks.

There are 440 different species of sharks in the world today classified into eight different orders described below with some examples of known sharks species for each group.

Some of the most popular species of sharks are:

Characteristics of some Types of Sharks

Angel Sharks

One of the most unusual types of sharks our there are know as angel sharks. Many people mistake them for some other types of sea creature. It isn’t uncommon for them to be thought of as large stingrays. But the simplest way to tell them apart is by looking at the location of the fins. On the angel shark, they won’t be on the head.

Leopard shark

This type of shark isn’t a meat eater. Instead it focuses on what it can find along the bottom of the ocean. Clams and mollusks often are a big part of their overall diet.

The coloring of angel sharks allow them to blend in well with the bottom of the ocean though so they often go undetected.

Hammerhead Sharks

Another unique type of shark is the Hammerhead Shark. It has a long head that looks like they ends of a hammer on both sides of it.

Many people are afraid of it due to the way that it looks. Yet it is very unlikely that they will attack a person. Nine hammerhead species are generally recognized but only three types can be dangerous to humans.

Hammerhead Sharks have a very developed sense of smell though and they will go on the hunt for prey in the ocean very aggressively. Read the complete Fact Sheet about the Hammerhead Shark…

Reef Sharks

Reef sharks seem to be able to adapt to life just about anywhere including captivity. They are loners and very seldom interact with other sharks unless it is time for breeding.

Reef Sharks can grow up to six feet long and they have very distinct features. They are gray in color on the top. Underneath they are all white or they have streaks of white. The tips of their fins are black.

Blue Sharks

All sharks swim very fast, but the blue shark is one of the fastest species.

Blue Sharks often look hungry due to the thin body they have. However, they are slender by nature and it has nothing to do with the amount of food they eat. Due to the roundness of most other types of sharks though they do seem quite on the thin side. They aren’t picky at all about what they will eat though so they never go hungry.

The blue shark is considered to be one of the most dangerous sharks in the waters. It has been known to attack people, which makes it one of species of shark that people most fear.

Blue sharks can grow up to 12 feet long so this is no small shark to be trying to get away from. Due to the speed and the strength of it very few of its prey have a chance of survival. Read the Blue Shark Fact Sheet

Great White Shark

Probably the best known species of shark is the great white. This is believed to be the most dangerous type of shark in the world. People have been able to see them as they are among the rare species that do raise their heads out of the water.

Great white sharks can grow up to 16 feet and weight around 1,500-2,400 pounds. Some have been known to weigh around 4,000 pounds but that isn’t the norm.

More people have been attacked by great white sharks than any other shark species. Locations where they are living have been identified and people are encouraged to stay away from them. Even so, swimmers, surfers, and divers have had numerous encounters with them. Read the Great White Shark Fact Sheet.

Grouping Sharks

While all sharks have similarities including they way their bodies are formed they also have many differences. Now that you are aware of some of the different types of sharks out there you can look into those that capture your attention in more detail. Sharks are very interesting and you will find there is an abundance of information out there to explore.

Physical Characteristics of Each Group