The basking shark is the second largest living fish, after the whale shark. The basking shark is the second largest living fish, after the whale shark. The largest accurately-measured specimen was trapped in a herring net in the Bay of Fundy, Canada in 1851. Its total length was 12.27 metres (40.3 ft), and it weighed an estimated 19 tonnes. On average, the adult basking shark reaches a length of 6 to 8 metres (20 to 26 ft) and weighs about 5.2 tonnes. Some specimens still grow to 9 to 10 metres (30 to 33 ft), but after years of large-scale fishing, specimens of this size have become rare. Basking sharks are not aggressive and generally harmless to people. It is a found in all the world s temperate oceans. It is a slow moving and generally harmless filter feeder with a greatly enlarged mouth. The basking shark is usually greyish-brown in colour and often seems to have a mottled appearance. The tail fin has a strong lateral keel and a crescent shape. The teeth of the basking shark are very small and numerous and often number one hundred per row. The teeth themselves have a single conical cusp, are curved backwards and are the same on both the upper and lower jaws. The basking shark is a coastal-pelagic shark found world wide It prefers 8 to 14.5 °C (46 to 58 °F) temperatures, but recently has been confirmed to cross the much-warmer waters at the equator. It is often seen close to land, including bays with narrow openings. It follows plankton concentrations in the water column and is often visible at the surface. The basking shark is found from the surface down to at least 910 metres (2,990 ft). Basking sharks are a migrating species and are believed to over winter in deep waters. It has long been a commercially important fish, as a source of food, shark fin, animal feed, and shark liver oil. Over exploitation has reduced its populations to the point that some have apparently disappeared and others need protection. Mating is thought to occur in early summer and birthing in late summer, following the female s movement into shallow waters. Gestation is thought to span over a year (perhaps two to three years), with a small, though unknown, number of young born fully developed at 1.5 to 2 metres (4 ft 10 in to 6 ft 7 in). Only one pregnant female is known to have been caught; she was carrying six unborn young.
