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A Basking Shark...breaching?
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This Basking Shark was spotted breaching in the waters around the Isle of Skye – one of the UK’s Basker hotspots - in June.
Basking Sharks seem so slow and cumbersome, that many people don’t believe they can breach clear of the water; some of the earliest researchers concluded that the reports they had received from fishermen and shark hunters were in error – how wrong can you be?
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Basking Sharks seem to breach most commonly when in large groups, and when consistent courtship activity is taking place. This suggests that breaching may serve as some form of social or sexual function – as with the White Shark.
It has also been suggested in the past that Basking Sharks breach to dislodge external parasites (such as the parasitic lamprey Petromyzon marinus), but this seems to be a remarkable expenditure of energy for such a small reward, so there must be more to it than that.
Breaching occurs without warning, and is hardly graceful – the shark erupts from the water, often rolling in mid air before crashing back in to the water. Sometimes a shark will breach 3 or more times on a 30 second or so basis, whilst other sharks carry on swimming nearby in an unconcerned manner. For this reason it makes sense for any observer on a boat to move away as quickly as possible when sharks start to breach in their vicinity – the only known fatalities involving the Basking Shark occurred in the Firth of Clyde before World War II, when a breaching shark hit a small boat at the surface, capsizing it and drowning 3 of the occupants – you have been warned!
• Download the Basking Shark Code of Conduct here
• Find out whats happening around the UK - check the Basking Shark
Blog, covering all the Basker hotspots
• Want to know more about Basking Sharks – the Shark Trust Factsheet and ID
Guides are free to download
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