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Basking shark
The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is the second-largest living shark and fish, after the whale shark. It is one of three plankton-eating shark species, along with the whale shark and megamouth shark. Typically, basking sharks reach 7.9 m (26 ft) in length, but large individuals have been known to grow more than 10 m (33 ft) long. It is usually greyish-brown, with mottled skin, with the inside of the mouth being white in colour. The caudal fin has a strong lateral keel and a crescent shape. Other common names include bone shark, elephant shark, sailfish, and sunfish.
The basking shark is a cosmopolitan migratory species found in all the world's temperate oceans. A slow-moving filter feeder, its common name derives from its habit of feeding at the surface, appearing to be basking in the warmer water there. It has anatomical adaptations for filter-feeding, such as a greatly enlarged mouth and highly developed gill rakers. Its snout is conical, and the gill slits extend around the top and bottom of its head. The gill rakers, dark and bristle-like, are used to catch plankton as water filters through the mouth and over the gills. The teeth are numerous and very small and often number 100 per row. The teeth have a single conical cusp, are curved backwards and are the same on both the upper and lower jaws. This species has the smallest weight-for-weight brain size of any shark, reflecting its relatively passive lifestyle.
Basking sharks have been shown from satellite tracking to overwinter in both continental shelf (less than 200 m or 660 ft) and deeper waters. They may be found in either small shoals or alone. Despite their large size and threatening appearance, basking sharks are not aggressive and are harmless to humans.
The basking shark has long been a commercially important fish as a source of food, shark fin, animal feed, and shark liver oil. Overexploitation has reduced its populations to the point where some have disappeared and others need protection.
The basking shark is the only extant member of the family Cetorhinidae, part of the mackerel shark order Lamniformes. Johan Ernst Gunnerus first described the species as Cetorhinus maximus, from a specimen found in Norway, naming it. The genus name Cetorhinus comes from the Greek ketos, meaning "marine monster" or "whale", and rhina, an ancient obscure Greek word meaning "shark". The species name maximum is from Latin and means "greatest". Following its initial description, more attempts at naming included: Squalus isodus, in 1819 by Italian zoologist Saverio Macri (1754–1848); Squalus elephas, by Charles Alexandre Lesueur in 1822; Squalus rashleighanus, by Jonathan Couch in 1838; Squalus cetaceus, by Laurens Theodorus Gronovius in 1854; Cetorhinus blainvillei by the Portuguese biologist Felix Antonio de Brito Capello (1828–1879) in 1869; Selachus pennantii, by Charles John Cornish in 1885; Cetorhinus maximus infanuncula, by Dutch zoologists Antonius Boudewijn Deinse (1885–1965) and Marcus Jan Adriani (1929–1995) in 1953; and Cetorhinus maximus normani, by Siccardi in 1961. In Orkney, it is called hoe-mother (contracted homer), meaning "the mother of the piked dogfish".
The oldest known members of Cetorhinidae are members of the extinct genus Keasius, from the middle Eocene of Antarctica, the Eocene of Oregon and possibly the Eocene of Russia. Members of the modern genus Cetorhinus appear during the Miocene, with members of the modern species appearing during the Late Miocene. The association of Pseudocetorhinus from the Late Triassic of Europe with Cetorhinidae is doubtful.
The basking shark is a coastal-pelagic shark found worldwide in boreal to warm-temperate waters. It lives around the continental shelf and occasionally enters brackish waters. It is found from the surface down to at least 910 m (2,990 ft). It prefers temperatures of 8 to 14.5 °C (46.4 to 58.1 °F) but has been confirmed to cross the much warmer waters at the equator. It is often seen close to land, including in bays with narrow openings. The shark follows plankton concentrations in the water column, so it is often visible at the surface. It characteristically migrates with the seasons.
The basking shark regularly reaches 7–8.5 m (23–28 ft) in length with some individuals reaching 9–11 m (30–36 ft). The average length of an adult is around 7.9 m (26 ft) weighing about 4.65 t (4.58 long tons; 5.13 short tons). Historical sightings suggest basking sharks around 12 m (39 ft) in length, including three basking sharks estimated at ~40 fod (12.5 metres (41 ft)) and a one ~45 fod (14 metres (46 ft)) were reported between 1884 and 1905, but these visual estimates lack good evidence. A 12.27 m (40.3 ft) specimen trapped in a herring net in the Bay of Fundy, Canada, in 1851 has been credited as the largest recorded. Its weight has been estimated at 16 t (16 long tons; 18 short tons). A study looking at the growth and longevity of the basking shark suggested that individuals larger than ~10 m (33 ft) are unlikely. It is the second-largest extant fish species, after the whale shark.
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Basking shark
The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is the second-largest living shark and fish, after the whale shark. It is one of three plankton-eating shark species, along with the whale shark and megamouth shark. Typically, basking sharks reach 7.9 m (26 ft) in length, but large individuals have been known to grow more than 10 m (33 ft) long. It is usually greyish-brown, with mottled skin, with the inside of the mouth being white in colour. The caudal fin has a strong lateral keel and a crescent shape. Other common names include bone shark, elephant shark, sailfish, and sunfish.
The basking shark is a cosmopolitan migratory species found in all the world's temperate oceans. A slow-moving filter feeder, its common name derives from its habit of feeding at the surface, appearing to be basking in the warmer water there. It has anatomical adaptations for filter-feeding, such as a greatly enlarged mouth and highly developed gill rakers. Its snout is conical, and the gill slits extend around the top and bottom of its head. The gill rakers, dark and bristle-like, are used to catch plankton as water filters through the mouth and over the gills. The teeth are numerous and very small and often number 100 per row. The teeth have a single conical cusp, are curved backwards and are the same on both the upper and lower jaws. This species has the smallest weight-for-weight brain size of any shark, reflecting its relatively passive lifestyle.
Basking sharks have been shown from satellite tracking to overwinter in both continental shelf (less than 200 m or 660 ft) and deeper waters. They may be found in either small shoals or alone. Despite their large size and threatening appearance, basking sharks are not aggressive and are harmless to humans.
The basking shark has long been a commercially important fish as a source of food, shark fin, animal feed, and shark liver oil. Overexploitation has reduced its populations to the point where some have disappeared and others need protection.
The basking shark is the only extant member of the family Cetorhinidae, part of the mackerel shark order Lamniformes. Johan Ernst Gunnerus first described the species as Cetorhinus maximus, from a specimen found in Norway, naming it. The genus name Cetorhinus comes from the Greek ketos, meaning "marine monster" or "whale", and rhina, an ancient obscure Greek word meaning "shark". The species name maximum is from Latin and means "greatest". Following its initial description, more attempts at naming included: Squalus isodus, in 1819 by Italian zoologist Saverio Macri (1754–1848); Squalus elephas, by Charles Alexandre Lesueur in 1822; Squalus rashleighanus, by Jonathan Couch in 1838; Squalus cetaceus, by Laurens Theodorus Gronovius in 1854; Cetorhinus blainvillei by the Portuguese biologist Felix Antonio de Brito Capello (1828–1879) in 1869; Selachus pennantii, by Charles John Cornish in 1885; Cetorhinus maximus infanuncula, by Dutch zoologists Antonius Boudewijn Deinse (1885–1965) and Marcus Jan Adriani (1929–1995) in 1953; and Cetorhinus maximus normani, by Siccardi in 1961. In Orkney, it is called hoe-mother (contracted homer), meaning "the mother of the piked dogfish".
The oldest known members of Cetorhinidae are members of the extinct genus Keasius, from the middle Eocene of Antarctica, the Eocene of Oregon and possibly the Eocene of Russia. Members of the modern genus Cetorhinus appear during the Miocene, with members of the modern species appearing during the Late Miocene. The association of Pseudocetorhinus from the Late Triassic of Europe with Cetorhinidae is doubtful.
The basking shark is a coastal-pelagic shark found worldwide in boreal to warm-temperate waters. It lives around the continental shelf and occasionally enters brackish waters. It is found from the surface down to at least 910 m (2,990 ft). It prefers temperatures of 8 to 14.5 °C (46.4 to 58.1 °F) but has been confirmed to cross the much warmer waters at the equator. It is often seen close to land, including in bays with narrow openings. The shark follows plankton concentrations in the water column, so it is often visible at the surface. It characteristically migrates with the seasons.
The basking shark regularly reaches 7–8.5 m (23–28 ft) in length with some individuals reaching 9–11 m (30–36 ft). The average length of an adult is around 7.9 m (26 ft) weighing about 4.65 t (4.58 long tons; 5.13 short tons). Historical sightings suggest basking sharks around 12 m (39 ft) in length, including three basking sharks estimated at ~40 fod (12.5 metres (41 ft)) and a one ~45 fod (14 metres (46 ft)) were reported between 1884 and 1905, but these visual estimates lack good evidence. A 12.27 m (40.3 ft) specimen trapped in a herring net in the Bay of Fundy, Canada, in 1851 has been credited as the largest recorded. Its weight has been estimated at 16 t (16 long tons; 18 short tons). A study looking at the growth and longevity of the basking shark suggested that individuals larger than ~10 m (33 ft) are unlikely. It is the second-largest extant fish species, after the whale shark.
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