Basking Shark [Cetorhinus maximus]
Description
The Basking Shark is the second largest living shark, after the whale shark. It is a cosmopolitan migratory species, found in all the world's temperate oceans. It is a slow moving and generally harmless filter feeder and has anatomical adaptations to filter feeding, such as a greatly enlarged mouth and highly developed gill rakers. Its snout is conical and the gill slits extend around the top and bottom of its head. It is usually grayish-brown, with mottled skin.
Taxonomy
| Phylum |
Chordates
Chordata
|
|---|---|
| Class |
Cartilaginous Fish
Chondrichthyes
|
| Order |
Mackerel Sharks
Lamniformes
|
| Family |
Basking Sharks
Cetorhinidae
|
| Genus |
Basking Shark
Cetorhinus
|