Few fast-swimming apex fishes are classified as regional endotherms, or partially warm-blooded, having evolved a relatively uncommon suite of traits (e.g. elevated body temperatures, centralized red muscle, and thick-walled hearts) thought to facilitate a fast, predatory lifestyle. Unlike those apex predators, basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus) are massive filter-feeding planktivores assumed to have the anatomy and […]
Tag: basking shark
PREDATOR ALERT Are there great white sharks in UK waters?
There are more than 500 species of sharks across the world. Great white sharks are commonly found in the Pacific waters, but what’s the likelihood of one being found in the UK? Are there great white sharks in UK waters? A “great white shark” is thought to have been spotted lurking off the coast of […]
The Endangered Basking Shark is Getting More Help, As Ireland Adds Protections
Basking sharks are the world’s second largest fish. These filter feeders are often seen swimming with their massive mouths open to get their share of zooplankton. Though these giants, which can grow to nearly 40 feet in length, are not generally dangerous to humans, humans are dangerous to them. Due to demand for their oil, […]
Deer Rescued by Fishermen Half Mile Out at Sea
Fishermen recently found a surprising animal swimming half a mile out at sea. Mark Bowditch was on a mackerel fishing charter out at sea when he spotted something moving in the water. The object was a young red doe that was struggling to keep her head above the waterline. The crew got to work, rescuing […]
POLL: Should the importing of shark fins be banned?
Shark finning in Canadian waters is illegal, but due to a lapse in legislative action there is currently no national ban on importing shark fins from regions where the practice remains legal. And animal rights advocates say that has to change. Shark finning has actually been illegal in Canada since 1994, meaning that no shark […]
Global marine populations slashed by half since 1970
Populations of marine mammals, birds, reptiles and fish have dropped by about half in the past four decades, with fish critical to human food suffering some of the greatest declines, the WWF warned on Wednesday. In a new report, the conservation group cautioned that over-fishing, pollution and climate change had significantly shrunk the size of […]
Slaughterhouse Said to Process “Horrifying” Number of Whale Sharks Annually
Whale sharks are being slaughtered: That’s the shocking news from a report issued by WildLifeRisk, a nongovernmental organization. A three-year investigation provides evidence that a factory in southeastern China is cutting up about 600 of the 21-ton (19-tonne) fish a year. It’s illegal—whale sharks are a protected species under Chinese and international law. But it’s […]
10 Facts You May Not Have Known About Sharks
Because you can’t keep pulling out the same stale old facts at your Shark Week parties, we’re going to hook you up with some fresh new shark facts to astound and amaze your friends and family! When we told a few of these shark facts to the basking shark in the photo below, his jaw […]