New England Seabirds
News
Seabirds
Other Sea
Animals
Where To
Find
Pelagic
Trips
Reports
Breedng
Colonies
Conservation
Mail Box
Links
Wandering
Birder
References
Sea
Conditions
Comments
| Other Sea Animals | Filter-Feeding New England Sharks | Search | Comments | Site Map |
|
Filter- Feeding New England Sharks
Carnivorous New England Sharks |
 Basking Shark |
What is a Filter-Feeding Animal?
Some very large animals; Baleen Whales, some sharks and some small animals; krill, sponges, clams are filter-feeders. There is even a bird the flamingo that is a filter-feeder. These animal swallow water which they strain through special filtering structures to remove plankton and other small food particles from the water.
Filter- Feeding Sharks
There are three species of filter-feeding sharks.
-
Basking Shark Cetorhinus maximus
-
Whale Shark Rhincodon typus
-
Megamouth Shark, Megachasma pelagios
The first two of these have been seen in New England waters. The third species the Megamouth Shark is very rare and feeds in deeper water.
Shark Status
Of the 307 shark species assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 50 are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered, but only the white, whale and basking sharks are protected internationally under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
| Basking Shark Cetorhinus maximus If you spot a dark fin sitting rather still on the surface, your first thought is Ocean Sunfish. If you watch for a minute and see a second smaller fin, two you probably have a Basking Shark. Up to 19 feet long and with shark in their name, you may jump to the conclusion this is a frightening animal. Actually it is a big shark that feeds on plankton and is pretty harmless. All wild animals should however be treated with respect. Keep your distance and enjoy watching the animal without interfering in its life. In this photograph you can see that the shark has a dorsal fin which is larger and remains above the water most of the time. The second and smaller fin is part of the tail and usually appears and disappears as the harmless animals floats on the surface. Of the filter feeding sharks, the Basking Shark is only one commonly seen on pelagic trips on the Continental Shelf off New England. It may be seen from whale watching boats. |
|
The Basking Shark moves slowly through the water taking in water and any food that might be in the water and moving the water out through the gills where food is caught by the gill rakers and oxygen absorbed. To feed and breath the Basking Shark must keep moving as it has no means of pumping water into the mouth. It does have teeth. Basking Sharks do breach.
It is the second largest living fish ( Whale Shark is the largest ). It usually swims in coastal waters over the continental shelf and is even seen in bays with narrow mouths. It follows plankton in the water column and when the plankton rises, the Basking Shark may be seen on the surface. It is found in all the temperate oceans of the world and is thought to cross the equator.
Unfortunately it is taken for food ( shark fin and shark liver oil) and animal feed. In some areas it has been overfished and needs protection.
|
Whale Shark Rhincodon typus |
Photograph by Luke Sietz on the 7/16/2011 Pelagic |
An otherwise unremarkable trip to the continental shelf edge on July 16, 2011 produced the unusual sighting of a large Whale Shark and a great deal of excitement. This was a "life sighting" for almost everyone aboard the Helen H except the Captain who said he had a distant look some time before. The shark drifted near to the boat and at one point bumped it with its nose giving all aboard a clear view. After it swam off, some lucky participants on the stern saw it breach.
It is the largest living fish in the oceans. It usually lives in tropical waters.
The Whale Shark unlike the Basking Shark can suck water into the mouth and then closes its mouth to push the water through the gills.
The Whale Shark is slow to reproduce and declining in all the world's oceans due to over exploitation.
Video of Whale Shark taken underwater by National Geographic
 |
On the July 2011 BBC Pelagic the Whale shark
approached the boat until it bumped its nose into
the side of the boat coming away with blue paint on
its nose.
Most photographers on the boat were helpless because their big lenses could not focus on something so large so close to the boat. Fortunately for history of New England Pelagic Trips, Luke Sietz was quick to change lenses and got these beautiful photographs. Thanks for sharing Luke. |
| Another photograph by Luke Sietz of the Whale Shark as it turned away from the boat. |
|
Carnivorous Sharks of New England Water
|
|
Tiger Shark photographed by
Scott Surner on July BBC Pelagic 2011 Great picture Scott. Thanks for sharing. |
.jpg)
Information about Carnivorous New England Sharks
|