"Basking Sharks" redirects here. For the band, see Basking Sharks (band).
Basking shark
Temporal range: Miocene–Present[1]
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The size of basking sharks at various stages of growth and maturity with a human for scale
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN 3.1)[2]
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[3]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Chondrichthyes
Subclass:
Elasmobranchii
Subdivision:
Selachimorpha
Order:
Lamniformes
Family:
Cetorhinidae
Genus:
Cetorhinus Blainville, 1816
Species:
C. maximus
Binomial name
Cetorhinus maximus
(Gunnerus, 1765)
Range of the basking shark
Synonyms
click to expand
Cetorhinus blainvillei Capello, 1869
Cetorhinus maximus infanuncula Deinse & Adriani, 1953
Cetorhinus normani Siccardi, 1961
Hanovera aurata van Beneden, 1871
Halsydrus pontoppidiani* Neill, 1809
Polyprosopus macer Couch, 1862
Scoliophis atlanticus* Anonymous, 1817
Selachus pennantii Cornish, 1885
Squalis gunneri* Blainville, 1816
Squalis shavianus* Blainville, 1816
Squalus cetaceus Gronow, 1854
Squalus elephas Lesueur, 1822
Squalus gunnerianus Blainville, 1810
Squalus homianus Blainville, 1810
Squalus isodus Macri, 1819
Squalus maximus Gunnerus, 1765
Squalus pelegrinus Blainville, 1810
Squalus rashleighanus Couch, 1838
Squalus rhinoceros* DeKay, 1842
Squalus rostratus Macri, 1819
Tetraoras angiova* Rafinesque, 1810
Tetroras angiova* Rafinesque, 1810
Tetroras maccoyi Barrett, 1933
----
* ambiguous synonym
The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is the second-largest living shark and fish,[4] 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. 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. In Orkney, it is called hoe-mother (contracted homer), meaning "the mother of the picked dogfish".[5]
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.[6]
Basking sharks have been shown from satellite tracking to overwinter in both continental shelf (less than 200 m or 660 ft) and deeper waters.[7] 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.[8]
^Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Chondrichthyes entry)". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2008.
^Rigby, C.L., Barreto, R., Carlson, J., Fernando, D., Fordham, S., Francis, M.P., Herman, K., Jabado, R.W., Liu, K.M., Marshall, A., Romanov, E. & Kyne, P.M. (2021) [amended version of 2019 assessment]. "Cetorhinus maximus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T4292A194720078. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T4292A194720078.en.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^"Basking Shark".
^Yarrell, William. (1836). A History of British Fishes. Volume II. John Van Voorst, London. p. 397.
^Kruska, DC (1988). "Brain of the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus)". Brain Behav. Evol. 32 (6): 353–63. doi:10.1159/000116562. PMID 3228691.
^Sims, DW; Southall, EJ; Richardson, AJ; Reid, PC; Metcalfe, JD (2003). "Seasonal movements and behaviour of basking sharks from archival tagging: no evidence of winter hibernation" (PDF). Marine Ecology Progress Series. 248: 187–196. Bibcode:2003MEPS..248..187S. doi:10.3354/meps248187.
^Sims, DW (2008). "Sieving a living: A review of the biology, ecology and conservation status of the plankton-feeding basking shark Cetorhinus maximus". Advances in Marine Biology. 54: 171–220. doi:10.1016/S0065-2881(08)00003-5. ISBN 978-0-12-374351-0. PMID 18929065.
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version of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), the baskingshark (Cetorhinus maximus) or the sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus). The most...
thresher sharks form a monophyletic sister group to the clade containing the families Cetorhinidae (baskingshark) and Lamnidae (mackerel sharks). The megamouth...
regard the whale shark and the baskingshark as trophy species, and pay $10,000 to $20,000 for a fin. The regulated global catch of sharks reported to the...
the largest extant sharks, the tiger shark ranks in average size only behind the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the baskingshark (Cetorhinus maximus)...
Look up bask in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Basking may refer to: Basking in reflected glory, associating oneself with successful other such that...
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of plankton-feeders, such as the baskingshark and whale shark, are greatly reduced and non-functional. These sharks filter feed on prey by opening their...
and the third largest shark overall after the whale shark and the baskingshark. Due to living in frigid depths, the sleeper shark's liver oil does not contain...
of filter feeding mackerel sharks, whose members are commonly known as baskingsharks. It includes the extant baskingshark, Cetorhinus, as well as two...
Fish vary greatly in size. The whale shark and baskingshark exceed all other fish by a considerable margin in weight and length. Fish are a paraphyletic...
great white sharks, hammerhead sharks, reef sharks, megamouth shark, megalodon, baskingsharks and whale sharks. To progress, the player must consume other...
2,000 tons of water per hour. Unlike the megamouth and whale sharks, the baskingshark does not appear to actively seek its quarry; but it does possess...
The goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) is a rare species of deep-sea shark. Sometimes called a "living fossil", it is the only extant representative of...
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The salmon shark (Lamna ditropis) is a species of mackerel shark found in the northern Pacific ocean. As an apex predator, the salmon shark feeds on salmon...
whale shark and baskingshark also have this type of tail, although they are generally more sedate animals than the other examples. "Typical sharks", such...
been made that it may belong in the family Cetorhinidae, of which the baskingshark is currently the sole extant member. Megachasma is known from a single...
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