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Cetorhinus maximus

(Tiburon Peninsula Limia)

Overview

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The second largest shark , reportedly reaching 1,220-1,520 cm TL (Ref. 247). Found on continental and insular shelves, offshore and often close to land , just off the surf zone; enters enclosed bays (Ref. 247). Swims slowly at the surface, usually in groups of 3 or 4 but a group of up to 100 has been reported (Ref. 6871). Found on the bottom of deep water during winter (Ref. 6871). Feeds by filtering copepods , barnacles, decapod larvae, and fish eggs from the water (Ref. 247). Ovoviviparous, embryos feeding on yolk sac and other ova produced by the mother (Ref. 50449).

Regarded as ordinarily harmless and inoffensive but potentially dangerous if attacked (particularly when harpooned) (Ref. 247). Utilized fresh, frozen and dried, or salted (Ref. 9987). Also valued for its liver for oil , fins for soup , hide for leather and carcass for fishmeal (Ref. 247). May be a potential source of anti-carcinoma drugs (Ref. 6034, 6035). Used in Chinese medicine (Ref. 12166).

Vulnerable
Threat status

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Afrikaans:

Koesterhaai

Common Names in Albanian:

Peshkagen Shtegtar, Peshkaqen Shtegtar

Common Names in Arabic:

Kalb

Common Names in Catalan:

Pelegrí

Common Names in Chinese:

象鮫

Common Names in Croatian:

Psina Golema, Psina Gorostasna, Suncani Pas, Sunčani Pas

Common Names in Danish:

Brugde

Common Names in Dutch:

Reuzenhaai

Common Names in English:

Basking Shark, Basking Tresher, Bone Shark, Elephant Shark, Hoe-Mother, Shark, Sun-Fish, Tiburon Peninsula Limia

Common Names in Faroese:

Brugda

Common Names in Finnish:

Jättiläishai, Jttilishai

Common Names in French:

Éléphant De Mer, lphant De Mer, Flaneur, Pèlerin, Pëlerin, Pelerin, Poisson Voiles, Poisson à Voiles, Requin, Requin Pèlerin, Requin Pélerin, Requin Plerin, Squale Géant, Squale Gant, Squale Pèlerin, Squale Plerin, Squale-Pelèrin

Common Names in Gaelic, Iris:

An Liamhn Grine

Common Names in Gaelic, Irish:

An Liamhán Gréine

Common Names in German:

Mandelhai, Riesenhai

Common Names in Greek:

Καρχαρίας, Παπάς, Σαπουνάς, Σκυλόψαρο, Καρχαρίας, Παπάς, Σαπουνάς, Σκυλόψαρο, Saparnasm Skylopsaro, Sapounas

Common Names in Greek, Modern (1453):

Σαπουνάς, Saparnasm Skylopsaro, Sapounas

Common Names in Hebrew:

Karish Anak

Common Names in Icelandic:

Beinhkarl, Beinhákarl

Common Names in Irish:

An Liamhán Gréine

Common Names in Italian:

Cagna, Can, Canisca, Imbestino, Mmistinu, Pesce Elefante, Pesce Pappagallo, Pisci Sceccu, Squalo Elefante, Squalo Gigante, Squalo Pellegrino, Squalo Rostrato

Common Names in Japanese:

Ubazame

Common Names in Maltese:

Gabdoll, Gobdoll, Pixxitonnu

Common Names in Mandarin Chinese:

姥鯊, 象沙, 象鮫, 象鮫, 象鲛, 象沙, 姥鯊, 姥鲨

Common Names in Maori:

Reremai

Common Names in Norwegian:

Brugde

Common Names in Polish:

Dlugoszpar A. Rekin Gigantyczny

Common Names in Portuguese:

Albafar, Cação-Peregrino-Argentino, Cao-Peregrino-Argentino, Frade, Peixe Frade, Peixe-Carago, Peixe-Frade, Peregrino, Relengueiro, Tubaro Frade, Tubaro-Frade, Tubaro-Peregrino, Tubarâo-Frade, Tubarão Frade, Tubarão-Frade, Tubarão-Peregrino

Common Names in Russian:

Акула гигантская

Common Names in Salish:

K´wet´thenchte, K'wet'thenéchte, K'wet'thenchte

Common Names in Spanish:

Colayo, Marrajo Ballenato, Marrajo Gigante, Peje Vaca, Peregrino, Pez Elefante, Tiburón Ballena, Tiburón Canasta, Tiburón Peregrino, Tiburn Ballena, Tiburn Canasta, Tiburn Peregrino

Common Names in Swedish:

Brugd

Common Names in Turkish:

Byk Camgz, Bykcamgz Baligi

Description

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Family Cetorhinidae

Marine , all oceans, highly migratory. Gill openings exceptionally large; gill rakers elongate , plankton feeders , teeth reduced. The tail is nearly symmetrical with keel on caudal peduncle. Fifth gill opening in front of pectoral fin. The family contains the world's second largest fish, reportedly reaching 1,520 cm TL (Ref. 247). Ovoviviparous, embryos feeding on yolk sac and other ova produced by the mother (Ref. 50449).The family Cetorhinidae belongs to the Class Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays ) and the Order Lamniformes. It contains 1 genus and 1 species. It may be found in Marine environments and is primarily Marine. Members of this family are not used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are bearers. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is carangiform . Compared with other fish, the activity level of this family tends to be normal. Members of this family have been dated back to the Cretaceous period. Etymology of this family name : Latin, cetus = whale , marine monster + Greek, rhinos = nose

Physical Description

Species Cetorhinus maximus

Distinctive Features: The basking shark is one of the most recognizable of all sharks . Its massiveness, extended gill slits that nearly encircle the head and lunate caudal fin together help distinguish it from all other species. It possesses a conical snout and numerous large gill rakers modified for filter feeding . Its enormous mouth extends past the small eyes and contains many small, hooked teeth. The basking shark has a very large liver that accounts for up to 25% of its body weight . The liver is high in squalene , a low-density hydrocarbon that helps give the shark near-neutral buoyancy .

Dentition: The basking shark possesses hundreds of tiny teeth. Those in the center of the jaws are low and triangular while those on the sides are more conical and slightly recurved. There is typically a wide space on the center of the upper jaw with only scattered teeth.

Color:

Dorsal surface is typically grayish-brown but can range from dark gray to almost black. Ventral surface may be of the same color, slightly paler or nearly white.

Size/Age/Growth

Second only to the whale shark (Rhincodon typus) in size, the basking shark can reach lengths up to 40 feet (12 m ). The average adult length is 22-29 feet (6.7-8.8 m). Size at birth is believed to be between 5-6 feet (1.5-1.8 m). The basking shark is an extremely slow-growing species and may grow to 16-20 feet (5-6 m) before becoming mature . Males are commonly 700 cm (Total Length) in length when caught/marketed, but may be as large as 900 cm (Total Length).

Habitat

The basking shark is typically seen swimming slowly at the surface, mouth agape in open water near shore . This species is known to enter bays and estuaries as well as venturing offshore. Basking sharks are often seen traveling in pairs and in larger schools of up to a 100 or more. Its common name comes from its habit of 'sunning' itself at the surface, back awash with its first dorsal fin fully exposed.

May be found at depths of 0 to 570 meters.

Basking sharks are highly migratory. Off the Atlantic coast of North America it appears in the southern part of its range in the spring (North Carolina to New York), shifts northward in the summer (New England and Canada), and disappears in autumn and winter. Off the southwest coast of the United Kingdom in the northeast Atlantic, the basking shark feeds at the surface of coastal waters during the summer. These sharks are absent from November to March, suggesting a migration beyond the continental shelf during the winter months. This is explained by the high zooplankton density (the primary food of the basking shark) that exists in these waters during late spring and early summer. Sightings of groups of individuals of the same size and sex suggest that there is pronounced sexual and population segregation in migrating basking sharks.

Typically found in water with a depth of 0 to -3,823 meters (0 to -12,543 feet).Mean = -283.670 meters (-930.676 feet), Standard Deviation = 545.300 based on 1,752 observations. Ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre.

Biome: Saltwater . Pelagic .

Ecology: A coastal-pelagic shark found in boreal to warm temperate waters of the continental and insular shelves. The species occurs well offshore and often very close to land , just off the surf zone. It is also known to enter enclosed bays . This conspicuous shark is often seen at or near the surface, basking with dorsal fins out of the water or with bellies upward, or moving slowly forwards or in short arcs with their mouths open like hoops while feeding. The basking shark is a filter-feeding species, relying on the passive flow of water through its pharynx generated by swimming for filtration. The species feeds exclusively on small planktonic organisms . Food items include small copepods , barnacle and decapod larvae, and fish eggs . On the average a half ton of material may be present in the stomach of these sharks (Compagno 1984). (Ref. 80449)


List of Habitats :9.1Marine Neritic - Pelagic 9.10Marine Neritic - Estuaries

Biology

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Diet

Along with the whale shark and the megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios), the basking shark is one of three species of large, filter-feeding sharks . However, the basking shark is the only one that relies solely on the passive flow of water through its pharynx by swimming. The basking shark is usually seen swimming with its mouth wide open, taking in a continuous flow of water. The whale shark and megamouth shark assist the process by suction or actively pumping water into their pharynxes. Food is strained from the water by gill rakers located in the gill slits . The basking shark's gill rakers can strain up to 2000 tons of water per hour. These sharks feed along areas that contain high densities of large zooplankton (i.e. , small crustaceans, invertebrate larvae, and fish eggs and larvae). There is a theory that the basking shark feeds on the surface when plankton is abundant, then sheds its gill rakers and hibernates in deeper water during winter. Alternatively, it has been suggested that the basking shark turns to benthic (near bottom ) feeding when it loses its gill rakers. It is not known how often it sheds these gill rakers or how rapidly they are replaced.

Reproduction

Limited information is available on the reproduction of the basking shark . Only one female carrying an embryo has ever been recorded. This shark was said to have given birth to five live young and one stillborn all ranging from 1.5-2 m (4.5-6 ft ) in length. The widely accepted theory is that the basking shark is ovoviviparous. The gestation period is 3 years or longer . It is also been proposed that they use a method of embryonic nutrition known as oviphagy, in which an embryo feeds on unfertilized eggs or other embryos within the uterus . It has been estimated that females reach sexual maturity between 12-16 years.

A characteristic feature of the juvenile basking shark is the long, hook-like snout. It is thought that this snout is useful in feeding in the womb and early feeding after birth by increasing water flow through the mouth . The mouth changes its shape and relative length rapidly during the first year after birth.

Migration

Oceanodromous .

Behavior

Predators : Basking sharks have few if any predators, however white sharks have been reported to scavenge on the remains of these sharks .

Parasites: Many people have witnessed individual sharks leaping from the water. This phenomenon is not fully understood but some believe the shark may be trying to rid itself of parasites or commensals such as remoras and especially sea lampreys (Petramyzon marinus), which are often seen attached to the skin of the basking shark. The lamprey cannot cut through the denticle-armored skin, but they may be enough of an irritant to cause a reaction like jumping or rubbing against an object or the bottom to dislodge them. The cookiecutter shark, Isistius brasiliensis, has also been known to attack basking sharks by using its suction cup-like lips and muscular pharynx to bore out plugs of flesh on the outside of the shark.

Taxonomy

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Ambiguous Synonyms

  1. Cetorhinus maximus infanuncula Deinse and Adriani, 1953
  2. Halsydrus pontoppidiani Neill, 1809
  3. Scoliophis atlanticus Anon., 1817
  4. Squalis gunneri Blainville, 1816
  5. Squalis shavianus Blainville, 1816
  6. Squalus rhinoceros DeKay, 1842
  7. Tetraoras angiova Rafinesque, 1810
  8. Tetroras angiova Rafinesque, 1810

Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Cetorhinus blainvillei Capello, 1869
  2. Cetorhinus maccoyi (Barrett, 1933)
  3. Cetorhinus maximus (Gunnerus)
  4. Cetorhinus maximus (Gunnerus, 1765)
  5. Cetorhinus maximus subsp. normani (Siccardi, 1961)
  6. Cetorhinus normani Siccardi, 1961
  7. Cetorhinus rostratus (Macri, 1819)
  8. Halsydrus maccoyi (Barrett, 1933)
  9. Halsydrus maximus (Gunnerus, 1765)
  10. Hannovera aurata van Beneden, 1871
  11. Polyprosopus macer Couch, 1862
  12. Selache elephas (Le Sueur, 1822)
  13. Selache maxima (Gunnerus, 1765)
  14. Selache maximum (Gunnerus, 1765)
  15. Selache maximus (Gunnerus, 1765)
  16. Selachus pennantii Cornish, 1885
  17. Squalus cetaceus Gronow, 1854
  18. Squalus elephas Lesueur, 1822
  19. Squalus gunnerianus Blainville, 1810
  20. Squalus homianus Blainville, 1810
  21. Squalus isodus Macri, 1819
  22. Squalus maximus Gunnerus, 1765
  23. Squalus pelegrinus Blainville, 1810
  24. Squalus peregrinus Blainville, 1810
  25. Squalus rashleighanus Couch, 1838
  26. Squalus rostratus Macri, 1819
  27. Tetroras maccoyi Barrett, 1933

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Family : Basking sharks .

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Cetorhinus

There are approximately 4 species in this genus:

C. maximus (Basking Shark) · C. maximus infanuncula · C. maximus normani · C. parvus

Bibliography

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More Info

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal December 18, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

Last Revised: 2008-11-02