Cartilaginous fish · Lamniformes · Cetorhinidae
Cetorhinus maximus
At very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.
It has the longest known gestation of any vertebrate on the planet, estimated at between 2.6 and 3.5 years, after which it gives birth to extraordinarily small litters of barely 6 pups.
Weight
2 t – 4 t
Size
6 m – 12.2 m
Life expectancy
50 years
Diet
Omnivore
Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.
Activity
Irregular activity
Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.
Sources consulted: COSEWIC assessment Canada · MarLIN · Conserve Wildlife Foundation NJ · A-Z Animals · Shark Research Institute · Diving with Sharks · FishBase
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 20 of 68.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Basking Shark — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
The basking shark is classified as endangered. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 14 protected areas — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Based on what we already know about basking shark.
The pins mark the parks and dive sites where its presence is documented.
