Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus)

Scientific name: Cetorhinus maximus Gunnerus, 1765

Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus)

The Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is a marine fish of the family Cetorhinidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 8–14°C (46–57°F).

Basking shark care at a glance

Temperature
8–14°C (46–57°F)

Biology

The second largest shark, reportedly reaching 1,220-1,520 cm TL. Found on continental and insular shelves, offshore and often close to land, just off the surf zone; enters enclosed bays. Swims slowly at the surface, usually in groups of 3 or 4 but a group of up to 100 has been reported. Found on the bottom of deep water during winter. Coastal-pelagic at 1 meter to unknown depths, probably epipelagic. Feeds by filtering copepods, barnacles, decapod larvae, and fish eggs from the water. Ovoviviparous, embryos feeding on yolk sac and other ova produced by the mother. Regarded as ordinarily harmless and inoffensive but potentially dangerous if attacked. In Bay of Fundy, Canada parasitic lampreys have been found attached to

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Cetorhinus maximus
Family
Cetorhinidae (Basking sharks)
Order
Lamniformes (Mackerel sharks)
Class
Elasmobranchii (Sharks and Rays)
Maximum length
900
Common length
700
Depth range
0–2000 m (0–6562 ft)
Environment
Marine; pelagic-oceanic; oceanodromous; depth range 0 - 2000 m, usually 0 - ? m
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
Cosmopolitan. Western Atlantic: Newfoundland, Canada to Florida, USA; southern Brazil to Argentina. Eastern Atlantic: Iceland, Norway and western Barents Sea to the Mediterranean and Senegal; also western Cape Province, South Africa. Western Pacific: Japan to New Zealand. Eastern Pacific: Gulf of Alaska to Chile; possibly the Galapagos Islands. Highly migratory species, Annex I of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea. At risk of extinction by overfishing because of low to very low productivity. International trade restricted.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Vulnerable (VU)(A2ad+3d)
Threat to humans
Traumatogenic
Uses
Fisheries: commercial
Resilience
Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec=1-2; Musick et al. 2000)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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