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Basking Shark | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Basking Shark

Cetorhinus maximus

ChondrichthyesTemperate continental shelf waters and shelf edges, from the surface to several hundred metresEndangered

Field profile

The basking shark is the second largest fish, commonly reaching eight metres. It filters zooplankton by swimming slowly with its mouth wide open, and its enormous gill slits nearly encircle the head. Summer surface feeding off western Britain and Ireland made it a familiar and heavily hunted animal.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2025-03-12

Basking Shark

The basking shark strains plankton by simply swimming forward

Unlike a whale shark, which can actively suck water in, the basking shark relies on ram filtration alone. It swims with its mouth open and lets forward motion drive water across bristle-like gill rakers, which is why it must keep moving to eat.

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