Basking Shark In the midst of all the masters of the sea, comes an enormous atrocious sea creature. It is known for being the second largest species of sharks in the world and also a fascinating monstrosity. Cetorhinus Maximus, also known as Basking sharks are fierce yet bizarre lethargic sharks. They are known for their gigantic mouths and unique appearance, which sets them apart, and additionally are quite impressive. According to “The Shark side of Life” it states that, “These sharks can grow to lengths of over 35 feet (10 meters), thus making them the second largest fish in the ocean ("The Shark side of the World ").” Due to their colossal appearance, this particular shark has few enemies. Basking sharks are very independent and known to depart from their mothers once born. They are ovoviviparous which is a form of reproduction where the eggs are internally fertilized as well as hatched within the female bearer which she gives birthed to fully young sharks. In addition to their eccentric process of reproduction, Basking sharks are oophagous, which means that the mother produces infertile eggs to nurture the fertile eggs, as a source of food. According to Sharks Trust, it states “Gestation periods of 1–3.5 years have been proposed though this figure has recently been revised to around 14 months. Estimates of the size at birth range from 1–1.7m, making Basking Shark pups larger at birth than the majority of other sharks are when fully grown ("Shark Trust ").” This shows that they are in labor for a little over a year which is twice as much as humans can. There is not an accurate range to how many babies a basking shark can possess, however according to Shark Trust, it states “only a single reported catch of a pregnant female carrying six pups reported in 1943 ("Shark Trust ").” This shows that there is a possibility they could carry but because there is no real evidence we are left curious. From all the diverse species, Basking Sharks one out of the three filter feeding species. Though it is conventional to see a shark roaming the oceans for their prey, basking sharks are quite different. They are known to wander around the oceans surface with its mouth unsealed, scaling the water with his ginormous mouth open and catching anything that comes its way. According to Shark Trust it states, “Prey items consist primarily of zooplankton – including small copepods (typically Calanus helgolandicus), barnacles, decapod larvae, fish eggs and a deep-water oceanic shrimp ("Shark Trust ").”
They are frequently spotted with their mouths accessible and their gills surging only to close their mouth to feast on their prey or if plankton was stuck on its teeth. According to Shark Trust, the gill rakers of the basking shark are responsible for a number of duties it states that, “capture of plankton by mucus secreted in the pharynx and can strain up to 2000 tons of water per hour resulting in Basking Sharks having, on average, around half a ton of food material present in their stomach ("Shark Trust ").” This is another example what this monumental sea creature has to offer under these circumstances. It is common to find these sharks wandering the surface of coastal oceans. During the winter these specific sharks are rarely seen. However according to shark trust, it states that, “The majority of records from the United Kingdom, Japan and Newfoundland are from water 8–14°C in temperature, although most records from New England are in water from 11–24°C with most of these over 16°C. It seems to prefer ocean fronts where different masses of water meet and where plankton may flourish ("Shark Trust ").” This shows that the one thing that these areas have in common are a strong tidal flow. However as mentioned before the Basking sharks are rarely seen in the winter, it was thought that they simply hibernate during the winter but with further information acquired and using satellite equipment, it was shown that Basking sharks roam around deep waters. Addition to their migratory ways it was also apparent that they fled deep waters in search of plankton in order to nurture themselves. Another process during the winter was the loss and the recovering growth of its gill rakers, an inevitable process during the winter. However these species of sharks have been known to migrate everywhere and they prefer to live in locations where the temperature is warmer and in fact is the largest shark to ever be encounter in the British waters in the UK. Despite having immeasurable gill slits, a massive body and crescent yet well proportioned tail it is apparent that these same qualities are similar to the Great White and other specific sharks. According to Shark Trust it states that, “Basking Sharks are members of the order mackerel sharks (Lamniformes). Although not the most species group, mackerel sharks are certainly one of the most diverse groups and also includes the Sandtiger, Goblin, Megamouth, Thresher, Porbeagle, White, Shortfin Mako, Longfin Mako and Crocodile Sharks ("Shark Trust ").” Though they are similar to a number of these sharks it is the only member in the Taxonomy Family Cetorhinidae. However Basking Sharks received their name because they are not the fastest sharks but the exact opposite they are known to “bask” and enjoy in the sun. It is quite unfamiliar to see such an immeasurable shark so close to the surface. According to A-Z, it states that, “asking Sharks ordinarily cruise at around 2.5 to 4mph ("Basking Sharks ").” Which in comparison to other sharks is quite sluggish. According to enchanted learning it states that, “They swim by moving their entire bodies from side to side (not just their tails, like some other sharks do) ("Zoom Sharks ").” However it has exceptionally large oil filled liver. According to sharks-world.com it states that, “The liver is believed to be ¼ of the overall body weight. This liver not only stores oil to help reduce the need to feed but it allows the basking shark to have plenty of energy all the time ("Sharks all over the world ").” This shows that this monstrosity of a shark is truly gigantic. If you ever come in contact to a Basking Shark many people mistaken it for the Great While however they have distinct features that set them apart. For one, Basking Sharks have small eyes where the Great White has the opposite. The texture of the skin of a Basking Shark is also unique they are called placoid scale. Unlike the active aggressive Great White Shark, Basking Sharks are the complete opposite and quite not dangerous to humans. However it is the opposite for Basking Sharks for many reasons they are being hunted down because of their meat, liver and oil based body. According to Arkive it states that, “classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (1), and listed on Appendix II of CITES (4) and Appendices I and II of the Bonn Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) (5) ("Arkive ").” This shows the futures of Basking Sharks are slowly on the verge of being a endangered shark or in fact extinct. Few live in the water of California, researchers and scientist would like the public to notify them of any sightings. They believe by examining and analyzing these specific sharks they can not only learn about their behavior and answer curious questions but they can also improve and breed the species. According to advanced technology such as satellites they have the power to tag Basking sharks, for example according to NOAA, “Satellite technology is being used to track the movements of basking sharks and determine how oceanography influences where they go and what they do ("National Marine Fisheries and Atmosphere Administration"). “ This shows that researchers as well as scientist are more than welcome to keep learning about this fascinating gigantic sea creature but also to study and educate people that are also interested.

Work Cited

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