Florida Fauna & Flora – The Basking Shark
THE BASKING SHARK
The basking shark is the second-largest living shark in the world. Basking sharks can grow up to a massive 40 feet long and weigh between 6,600 and 13,000 pounds. This shark is thought to mate in early summer, with gestation of a year up to three years. It gives birth only once every two to four years. Its life expectancy is fifty years.
Despite their large appearance, basking sharks are non-aggressive and harmless to humans. The basking shark has the smallest brain weight of any shark – a reflection of its relatively passive lifestyle. Listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature‘s (IUCN) Red List as a vulnerable species, this shark is fully protected in the UK, Malta, New Zealand, Florida and the Gulf Coast.
Read the full January 2019 SECO News online.
