Animal of the week – Basking Shark

Basking Shark
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Lamniformes
Family: Cetorhinidae
Cetorhinus maximus

The basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus, is the second largest fish, after the whale shark. It is a filter feeder and is found throughout the oceans of the world. The largest specimen accurately measured was 12.27 metres (40 ft 3 in), and weighed an estimated 16 tons. Normally the basking shark reaches a length of between 6 metres (20 feet) and a little over 8 m (28 ft). In females, only the right ovary appears to be functional: if so, this is a unique characteristic among sharks.

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