Basking Shark
Morphology
Besides their large size, Basking Sharks are characterized by their powerful tail, very large mouth, pointed nose and five huge gill slits which almost encircle the head. Basking Sharks are typically greyish-brown but can range through to slate grey or black on the dorsal surface. They have bilateral symmetry. Distribution Map
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Biology
Prey items consist primarily of zooplankton includining small copepods, barnacles, decapod larvae, fish eggs and a deep-water oceanic shrimp. Movements of Basking Sharks are driven by zooplankton growth. |
Importance
Ecological
They eat plankton which keeps the food chain in order. |
Economical
The Basking Shark was historically hunted for its liver oil and to a lesser extent its meat and fins. It is still sought for its large fins which are extremely valuable in the Asian fin trade. |
Facts about the Basking Shark
- The basking shark gets its name due to being slow moving and enjoying time basking in the sun.
- It has an extremely large liver, bigger than most species of sharks. The liver is believed to be ¼ of the overall body weight.
- They are one of the few species of sharks that form groups as most sharks are loners.
- They prefer to live in warmer water temperatures.
- The basking shark is the second largest shark found in the world.