This month our Creature Feature is from guest writer Yolanda Evans. 17-year old Yolanda has been passionate about sharks all her life. And this month she explores the world of the Basking Shark.

Slowly gliding through the water is the 9-metre long Basking Shark. The second-largest shark in the world, but also the largest in British waters, these sharks are immediately identifiable from their large mouths and their brown-grey colouration. In fact, they are so big that their species name ‘maximus’ means great, for their large size.

Basking Sharks' capacious mouths can measure up to 90cm wide and yet, they eat some of the smallest creatures in the sea, zooplankton. Their food is separated from the water by their gill rakers, these are long keratinous bristle-like structures that are in each gill. Even though they eat zooplankton, Basking Sharks still have teeth. There are 6 rows in their upper jaw and 9 in their lower. However, their teeth are only 6mm long!

This month our Creature Feature is from guest writer Yolanda Evans. 17-year old Yolanda has been passionate about sharks all her life. And this month she explores the world of the Basking Shark.

Slowly gliding through the water is the 9-metre long Basking Shark. The second-largest shark in the world, but also the largest in British waters, these sharks are immediately identifiable from their large mouths and their brown-grey colouration. In fact, they are so big that their species name ‘maximus’ means great, for their large size.

Basking Sharks' capacious mouths can measure up to 90cm wide and yet, they eat some of the smallest creatures in the sea, zooplankton. Their food is separated from the water by their gill rakers, these are long keratinous bristle-like structures that are in each gill. Even though they eat zooplankton, Basking Sharks still have teeth. There are 6 rows in their upper jaw and 9 in their lower. However, their teeth are only 6mm long!

Their common name also comes from where they swim, as it is thought these mighty sharks like to bask in the warmth of the sun. In fact, like many sharks and ourselves, Basking Sharks can actually get a tan from the sun! Their tan makes them go a darker brown.

Basking Sharks have a global distribution and are a common visitor to British waters as they are a migratory species. They can be found in the UK from May to October on the west coast of the UK and then undergo trans-Atlantic migrations along the continental shelf following the zooplankton. If you do see a Basking Shark in the wild always remember the Basking Shark Code of Conduct. 

The Basking Shark is currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. It was until 1994 that Basking Sharks were hunted for their liver oil in the UK. The oil was used for streetlamps and cosmetics. Shark liver oil is made of a substance called squalene which is still used today in many products like sun creams and makeup. 

REPORTING YOUR SIGHTINGS - You can report your sightings of Basking Shark wherever you are in the world, to our Basking Shark Project!

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cetorhinus maximus

FAMILY:  Cetorhinidae

MAXIMUM SIZE: 12m

DIET: Zooplankton

DISTRIBUTION: Worldwide

HABITAT: Coastal and Pelagic waters

CONSERVATION STATUS:

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Banner Image - © Martin Prochazkacz via Shutterstock

In-Text Images -© Frogfish Photography