Go to episode 4 or return to the Venus Aqueous page 🙂
Basking Sharks are so named because they’re often seen feeding at the surface of the water where they look like they’re basking in the sun! They are enormous and often spotted during summer months.
APPEARANCE:
Apart from their large size, Basking Sharks have:
- a very large mouth – this can be well over 1m wide!
- 5 huge gills which almost encircle the head
- and a powerful crescent-shaped tail
COLOUR:
They tend to be greyish-brown with a lighter underbelly. Often they have irregular patches, patterns and streaks on their flanks and fins. Using photo-ID we can use these distinct markings to identify individual Basking Sharks.
SIZE:
The largest reported Basking Shark was 12m long. But most don’t get bigger than 9.8m.
WEIGHT:
The average Basking Shark weighs 4.5 tonnes. Yet, they can weigh up to 7 tonnes!
DIET:
Basking Sharks eat zooplankton. This includes small copepods, barnacles, decapod larvae, fish eggs and shrimp. They’re one of 3 filter-feeding sharks but are the only species that feeds entirely passively. They swim through the water with their mouth wide open, rather than actively sucking water in. Only closing their mouths to swallow their food. Long comb-like structures on their gills (known as gill-rakers) trap and filter zooplankton. These can strain up to 2000 tonnes of water per hour!
REPRODUCTION:
It’s thought that Basking Sharks live for at least 50 years. Males reach maturity at 12–16 years. And females at 20 years (around 4.6-6.1m in length).
Females produce eggs, which develop and hatch inside their body. They then give birth to fully developed young, which are around 1–1.7m long. This makes Basking Shark pups larger at birth than many species of shark are fully grown!
There’s little data on Basking Shark reproduction. But pregnancy is thought to last around 14 months. There’s only ever been one reported catch of a pregnant female (1943), who was carrying 6 pups. This suggests that Basking Sharks give birth in areas of low, or no fishing pressure.
BEHAVIOUR:
Basking Sharks are quite social. They can be seen on their own, in small groups, or, schools of hundreds. There are many reports of same size and sex groups. Suggesting a strong sexual and age segregation within the species.
Despite their size, Basking Sharks are capable of leaping clear out of the water. A behaviour known as breaching. They seem to breach most when in large groups and during courtship, so this may act as a social or sexual function. It could also help to dislodge external parasites.
Info from sharktrust.org/about-basking-sharks
Basking Sharks are long lived, slow growing and produce few young. This makes them extremely vulnerable to human impacts. Although Basking Sharks are now one of the most heavily protected sharks in UK and EU waters, they continue to face threats from human activities:
ENTANGLEMENT
Basking Sharks easily become entangled in fishing nets and ropes. Unless fishermen are on hand to quickly release them, they often die. Although some do manage to disentangle themselves. You can sometimes see scarring and abrasions caused by nets on their dorsal fin.
BOAT-STRIKE
Propeller and boat strikes remain a serious danger for Basking Sharks. Particularly in summer months when they’re feeding at the surface. Basking Sharks rarely evade approaching boats. So it’s common for them to have scarring and sometimes horrific injuries from collisions.
HARASSMENT
Basking Sharks are very sensitive to disturbance and harassment by people. In all the excitement of seeing Basking Sharks, boats and jet-ski’s often end up striking them. As well as causing physical harm, water-users can also disrupt their natural behaviour. Such as feeding, courting and mating.
FISHERIES
Basking Shark fisheries worldwide have all but collapsed. Although in some parts of the world they continue, driven by demand for shark fins. Basking Sharks are also still caught as bycatch in nets intended for other species.
Info from sharktrust.org/basking-shark-threats
To learn how you can help basking sharks go to sharktrust.org/how-can-you-help-basking-sharks
***************************************
This story is available in paperback from our little shop:
Venus Aqueous: Beginnings – the first four episodes
Created with Comic Life by Plasq
****
Venus Aqueous is a vegan comic for children made by Violet’s Veg*n e-Comics
Copyright 2013
****
veggie kids, vegetarian children, vegan children, animal-friendly stories for children
This is a great story 🙂 I really like getting insight into Venus’s home life, and her relationship with her family. Also it’s great that they showed the motor jet skiers a lesson, because they are terrible and so selfish, and they really spoil the sea for everyone, I had never even realised that they spoil the sea for the poor animals. Well done Venus’s dad 🙂 And Venus too 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for telling me everything you liked about this story, it’s lovely to get such detailed feedback and I’m so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you 🙂 I am glad you liked my feedback 🙂 I like to talk about all the things I like 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a very happy circumstance for me that you do 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awesome!! Venus ROCKS 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Woohoo!!! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
That was great!! I love that they have got their own back on the stupid people as well as rescuing the beautiful whale shark! Venus is my hero 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for your enthusiastic comments!!!! Much appreciated 😀 😀
LikeLike
Venus is so cool! And her dad is cool too! Well done dad! This story is great because it shows how difficult it is to balance your ordinary life with your superhero life. It’s tricky!
But in the end, the important thing is always the ocean 😉 and the people who live in it!!
Awesome story, I really like the way these stories are differently illustrated each time – it’s so fun! 😀
I love the Jaws quote and the Gilmore Girls quote too! Ha ha ha 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha ha ha 😀 I’m so glad you like Venus too, thank you for your lovely and detailed feedback, it’s so important to us 😀
LikeLike
Great stuff! Can’t wait for the next instalment! 😀
LikeLike
So glad you like it, thank you 😀
LikeLike
Ha ha! “We’re going to need a bigger boat” – perfect!
Also, I liked the phrase “butt faced miscreants”. Very effective! I might steal it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha ha ha, we’ve already stolen it: Rory says it to Logan at Yale in Gilmore Girls 😀 So glad you liked it 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hee hee, I am supposed to doing other things but couldn’t stop ready these great stories about Venus, I love them, thank You
LikeLike
Wow, Rose, you’ve made my day! So glad you love Venus 😀
LikeLike
Really like this story!
LikeLike
I’m so glad 😀 Thank you
LikeLike
Totally enjoyed the story, Violet! Venus is a really inspiring heroine! Can’t wait to read her next adventure. Thanks for writing this story and sharing it.
LikeLike
Looking forward to it, Violet! Can’t wait to read Venus’ next adventure 🙂
LikeLike
Great story-Venus is a wonderful character- More! More!
LikeLike
This is such a good read
LikeLike
That was a good read!
LikeLike
A line from Jaws and a Dalek? Cool!
LikeLike
another great episode of VENUS! Hey…what ever happened to the “fish” in the dress that Venus took home?
LikeLike
This is great!!!
LikeLike