Basking Sharks Can Travel Through Waters With Pressures Exceeding 90 Times Surface Levels

This gentle filter feeder survives crushing pressures nearly a kilometer deep.

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Pressure increases by roughly one atmosphere for every 10 meters of depth in seawater.

Tagged basking sharks have been recorded diving to depths approaching 1,000 meters, where water pressure exceeds 90 times that at sea level. At such depths, sunlight fades and temperatures drop sharply.

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For a fish frequently observed basking at the surface, tolerating near-kilometer depths demands extreme physiological flexibility. Tissue structure, buoyancy regulation, and oxygen management must function under intense compression.

These depth excursions reveal that the basking shark is not confined to surface feeding scenes. Instead, it navigates vertical ocean gradients that connect sunlit waters to the twilight zone below.

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

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