Basking Shark Cetorhinus maximus

Information Kingdom-Animalia Phylum-Chordata Class-Chondrichthyes Order-Lamniformes Family-Cetorhinidae Genus-Cetorhinus Species-maximus

Size Female basking sharks are up to 33 feet (10 m) long; males are up to 30 feet (9 m) long. This enormous shark weighs up to 4 tons. It is the second largest fish in the world, Whale shark being the largest.

Habitat Basking sharks live in coastal temperate waters. They spend most of their time at the surface.

Habitat (continued) Basking sharks are found off the coasts of western North America from Baja to southern Alaska, off the east coast of the US and southern Canada, along the Gulf Stream, to the entire coastline of Europe, off the southern coast of Australia, off South Africa, New Zealand, most of southern South America, the Red Sea, and the coastlines of China and Japan.

Diet Basking sharks are filter feeders that feed from small animals from the water. As the basking shark swims with its mouth open, masses of water filled with prey flow through its mouth. The prey includes plankton, baby fish, and fish eggs. After closing its mouth, the shark uses gill rakers that filter the nourishment from the water. Gill rakers are bristly structures (the thousands of bristles are about 4 inches or 10 cm long) in the shark's mouth that trap the small organisms which the shark then swallows. The water is expelled through the shark's 5 pairs of gill slits. The shark can process over 1500 gallons (6000 liters) of water each hour.

Facts Basking sharks are slow swimmers, going no more than 3 mph (5 kph). They swim by moving their entire bodies from side to side. Basking sharks are not aggressive and are generally harmless to people.

Human Impact The number of basking sharks is unknown, but it may be decreasing since the basking shark is hunted for its meat, fins and oil.