Category: Fish
The basking shark is the second largest living fish after the whale shark and can be found in all the world’s temperate oceans. Like the whale shark and mega-mouth shark, they feed on plankton and are a slow-moving filter feeder. While they can appear threatening due to their size and gaping mouth, they are docile and pose no threat to humans. Satellite tracking shows that they move thousands of kilometers in the winter in search of plankton blooms. They are social animals that form sex-segregated schools that, while typically small, may reach around 100 individuals.
The Oldest Fish in the Sea?
The Greenland Sleeper Shark, the only living species of sub-Arctic shark, is an apex predator only slightly smaller than the great white shark, with an estimated lifespan of 200 years - one of the longest-living vertebrates on the planet. While the Greenland Shark is a slow swimmer, it will eat just about anything: eels, flounders, other sharks, seals - and those are just animals who live in the water! Polar bear remains and even an entire reindeer body have been found inside these sharks! Fortunately, while there are Inuit legends of Greenland sharks attacking kayaks, there have been no reports of human predation. There have been, however many cases of people eating Greenland sharks! Their meat is highly toxic - it will produce effects in your body similar to being extremely drunk, but a fermented version that has been hung out to dry for several weeks is considered a delicacy in Iceland.
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