🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
Large seasonal aggregations of basking sharks are observed off the coasts of Scotland and Ireland during peak plankton blooms.
Basking sharks are frequently found in temperate and cold waters as low as 8 degrees Celsius, particularly in the northeastern Atlantic. Despite their enormous size and slow movement, they maintain active feeding in conditions that would slow many other large marine animals.
💥 Impact (click to read)
Operating in such cold environments means reduced metabolic rates and limited plankton windows, yet the shark’s massive body allows efficient heat retention. This thermal tolerance lets it exploit seasonal plankton blooms in higher latitudes where food density can spike dramatically.
By capitalizing on cold-water productivity, basking sharks link polar and temperate ecosystems to global nutrient cycles. Their presence in chilly northern seas underscores how ocean giants are shaped as much by microscopic plankton timing as by sheer body mass.
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