Basking shark
Depth: 80 m · Sunlight Zone
The basking shark is the second-largest fish in the world and swims through the water with its mouth wide open. It is completely harmless and filters only tiny plankton from the sea. In a single day it sieves a whole swimming pool of water.
For scientists
The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) filters passively: it swims with its mouth open, and gill rakers on the gill arches sieve the plankton from the water flowing through. In winter, when plankton is scarce, it probably sheds its gill rakers and lowers its metabolism. Despite its size it is completely harmless.
🌊 Swim straight to it in 3D