Basking Shark

These are the second largest shark, growing to about 10m long and weighing over 4 tonnes, but are entirely harmless. They are most common in Irish waters during the summer especially July and August, retiring to deeper waters in the winter. Basking sharks often swim at the surface on sunny days with their dorsal fins and perhaps their snouts and tails out of the water. They are probably more attracted by a concentration of food at the surface than the delights of basking in the sunshine. Unfortunately this means they often get caught in salmon nets.
As the basking shark swims along, one and a half million litres of water flow through its huge mouth every hour. Drifting in the water are small crabs, fish eggs and arrow worms which are strained out of the water by hundreds of long bristles, or gill rakers, and trapped in a layer of slime. After a minute, it closes its mouth, emptying the water out through its gill slits before swallowing its food.