Definition

Noun: 1. A very large, harmless shark that feeds on plankton: The basking shark is a species of shark characterized by its enormous size, passive nature, and diet consisting primarily of plankton. It is often observed swimming slowly near the ocean's surface with its large mouth open to filter food from the water.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • We were thrilled to spot a basking shark gliding peacefully just below the waves.
  • The basking shark is the second-largest living fish, after the whale shark.
  • Unlike most sharks, the basking shark poses no threat to humans.

Advanced Usage

• Scientific context: The term is used in marine biology and conservation to discuss species behavior, migration, or ecological role.
  • Satellite tagging has provided new data on the migratory patterns of the basking shark.

Variants and Related Words

• Cetorhinus maximus: The scientific (Latin) name for the basking shark.
• Filter feeder: An animal that feeds by straining suspended matter and food particles from water, which describes the basking shark's feeding method.

Synonyms

• Plankton shark (descriptive synonym, though less common).
• Sunfish (Note: This is a potential point of confusion. "Sunfish" commonly refers to a different type of fish (Mola mola), but historically and in some regional dialects, "sunfish" has been used for the basking shark due to its habit of swimming at the surface.)

Related Phrases

• Surface feeding: The behavior of filtering food at the sea surface, commonly associated with the basking shark.
  • The boat tour specializes in trips to see surface-feeding basking sharks.

Noun

1. large harmless plankton-eating northern shark; often swims slowly or floats at the sea surface