Basking Shark, Scottish wildlife, animals, birds, plants

Basking Shark image This huge fish is the second largest fish in the world, reaching 11 metres long and weighing up to 7 tonnes. It is usually seen swimming close to the surface with the huge fin, up to 2 metres high, breaking the water along with the tips of the tail fin and nose.
The basking shark feeds by opening its mouth as it swims to allow water to be filtered through its gills. The mouth, which is over 1 metre wide, takes in the equivalent to a swimming pool each hour and the gills trap any plankton. Basking sharks only eat plankton and are most frequently seen in summer in areas where plankton is abundant.
Although not uncommon around the west coast of Scotland nobody knows where these sharks go during the winter when the plankton dies, or where they give birth to their live young. What is known is that the fish has a huge liver for storing surplus food in the form of oil. This supply can help the basking shark to survive through the months when there is no food available.

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Basking Shark

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