Basking Shark

• it is called the basking (Cetorhinus maximus) shark because it is most often observed when feeding at the surface and appears to be basking in the warmer water there
• it is easily recognised by its great size (usually around 7.5m but may be up to 11m), and five very large gill slits
• the genus name Cetorhinus comes from the Greek, ketos which means marine monster or whale
• the species name maximus is from Latin and means "greatest".
• the basking shark can grow to 12m long and is the largest fish found in Northern Ireland waters and the second largest fish in the sea - being beaten only by the whale shark
• basking sharks are easily distinguished from whales and dolphins by the way they swim – sharks move their tails from side to side in a snake-like movement when swimming, whales and dolphins move their tails up and down in the water
• it normally swims along close to the surface with its first dorsal fin, snout and tail fin breaking the surface
• it feeds by filtering huge quantities of seawater through its gills and trapping planktonic organisms on its gill rakers
• the coloration is greyish-brown to black with lighter mottling, the gills are bright red
• despite its enormous size it feeds on planktonic organisms such as tiny crustaceans, jelly-fish and comb-jellies
• it is completely harmless to humans, feeding only on tiny plankton
• the best time of the year to look out for this fish is from April to September
• the sea around Rathlin Island, County Antrim and the waters off Strangford Lough, County Down are areas where basking sharks are regularly seen
• follow the research project and report sightings on the Irish Basking Shark Project
• you also might like to go online and vote for the protection of your favourite marine areas in the Marine Conservation Society's 'Your seas your voice' campaign