Basking Shark

ocean · giant animals · filter feeders · sharks

A truly giant shark. Basking sharks typically grow about 26 feet long, but the biggest ones can stretch over 33 feet, making them the second-largest shark species after the whale shark.

Eats only tiny plankton. Instead of hunting fish like most sharks, basking sharks swim through the water with their huge mouths open, filtering out microscopic plankton to eat. They share this unusual eating style with only two other shark species: the whale shark and megamouth shark.

Brown with white mouth. These sharks have greyish-brown skin with mottled patterns, and the inside of their enormous mouth is bright white, making them easy to spot from above the water.

Built for the ocean. Basking sharks have a crescent-shaped tail fin with a strong ridge on the side, which helps them glide smoothly through the ocean as they hunt for plankton.