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Basking sharks are the second biggest fish in the sea, and these massive sharks have been recorded in record numbers off Britain and Ireland this summer. With the live stranding of a 20 ft Basking Shark on a New York beach earlier today, they’re in the news again – so here’s a bit of info about these incredible animals:

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The basking shark is the biggest fish found in Irish waters, and the second largest fish on earth after its Indo-Pacific cousin, the whale shark. Although it belongs to the same family as the notorious great white, and has more teeth than any other shark, the basking shark is actually a gentle giant. It’s a filter feeder, and exists on tiny creatures that it sifts out of the plankton (a rich soup of tiny plants and animals that live in the surface layers of the ocean) through specially adapted gill slits.

Basking sharks can be found in temperate seas throughout the world with  an average temperature range of 8º-14º C. They have been recorded in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans and can be seen off the Irish coast during the summer months. They are huge fish, with specimens reaching lengths of up to 12 metres (39 feet) and weighing up to 7 tonnes.

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