Origin
The Basking Shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is part of the cetorhinidae family, order Lamniformes.
It can be found in temperate waters around the globe. Prefers waters with temperatures of 8-15 degrees celsius.
The name of the pilgrim comes from the fact that it prefers surface "walks" in warm waters. It is the only fish of the family to which it belongs.
It can be found in foreign and specialized literature under the names: the basking shark, bone shark, elephant shark, hoe-mother, sail-fish or sun-fish.
The scientific name comes from Greek and Latin. It means "sea-nosed, extraordinary" monster. It was Gunnerus who first described the Basking Shark. He saw the great fish in the waters off Norway.
In English and literature it can also be called basking shark or basking shark.
The population of basking sharks is declining due to the threat of man.
Poaching decreases shark numbers annually. At the moment the basking shark is on the verge of extinction. In some countries it has been included on the list of protected animals and its fishing has been banned.
Feeding The Basking Shark
The main food of the basking shark and the most favorite is plankton. It has been found to have the ability, through olfactory bulbs, to detect areas with higher plankton concentration.
Besides plankton, it also feeds on eggs and various fish eggs, with small fish, invertebrates or other marine animals floating in the water.
Sharks are generally called Ocean sanitarians because they eat various sick or motor-impaired marine animals.
Appearance Basking Shark
The basking shark can reach 10-12 meters in length and in exceptional cases can reach up to 15 meters.
Weight is 4-6 tons. Females are larger than males. The body of the basking shark is gray-brown in color and has various spots on the belly.
The belly is whitish or even white. Characteristic of the basking shark is its long conical snout and very large mouth that has an opening of over a meter. He can often be seen with his mouth open feeding.
It filters an enormous amount of water, around 1800 tons per hour. When he opens his mouth, a series of teeth can be seen positioned to prevent prey from escaping.
It is the second largest shark after the whale shark. Besides its imposing size, the basking shark has several characteristics that distinguish it from other sharks and fish.
The five lateral slits located symmetrically on either side of the head are closer to the mouth and are wider than in other sharks. The dorsal and lateral fins are two meters long.
Compared to other species of sharks the liver of the basking shark is very large. It helps the shark to lift.
The head is large. The eyes are relatively small, and the iris is dark in color. Their skin is covered with scales and a mucus.
Behavior Basking Shark
The basking shark is a fish that swims slowly. It opens its mouth to filter out as much water as possible and moves forward to feed itself. It is a social shark that lives in groups from 1 to 100 individuals.
It tends to migrate into the waters and oceans of the seas.
It prefers waters with depths of less than 1000 meters, but it can also be seen on the surface of the water. It is considered a giant bland.
It poses no danger to humans and despite its size is not on the list of the most dangerous sharks. It's a harmless shark. Sometimes they swim belly up to keep warm with the sun's Rays.
The basking shark is an active shark that does not hibernate. In winter it descends to depths of up to 900 meters. In winter they travel thousands of miles in search of food (plankton). The travel speed is 3-5km / h.
The main natural enemies of the Basking Shark are the tiger shark and the killer whale (orca). Being a shark of large sizes has few predators. Man remains his most feared enemy.
Breeding Basking Shark
The basking shark is oviviparous (the female holds the eggs in her belly). After the incubation period the female lays eggs from which live chicks are born. It searches shallow waters to give birth to babies. The gestation period can last up to two years.
At birth the Cubs are 1.5-2 meters long. One female gave birth to 6 Cubs. Maturity is reached at the age of 6 years. Females give birth once every 2-4 years.
Life expectancy is not known, but it is estimated to be 50 years.
