A basking shark about 8 meters long was spotted between Santa Croce and Marina di Aurisina in the Gulf of Trieste. Researchers are happy with the observation.
“This is great news for the Gulf of Trieste and its biodiversity and offers hope for species increasingly threatened in the Mediterranean,” the National Institute of Oceanography And Applied Geophysics wrote about the sighting.
The sighting of the specimen – seen in the published photo (see below) – was reported to the Miramare Marine Protected Area in recent days and the species has already been confirmed by experts. The last basking shark was seen in 2015.
Sensitive, endangered marine animals
“It is a species that occurs in seas all over the world and is capable of migrating thousands of kilometers,” says researcher Diego Borme. Basking sharks are considered sensitive creatures and are endangered. They only reach sexual maturity between the ages of 16 and 20 and give birth to up to six young animals every two to four years. In the past, the animals were hunted for their liver and oil.
The name “basking shark” comes from the fact that the young of this species have a fairly long and curved snout, somewhat reminiscent of a trunk.
“It usually swims alone, calmly and apparently relaxed, at a speed of a few knots. Often with its mouth wide open while filtering planktonic organisms, which it holds at the back of its throat thanks to its filter apparatus – consisting of long and thick spines on the gill arches,” informs the National Institute of Oceanography And Applied Geophysics.
Source: Krone
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