🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
Tagging data have revealed that some basking sharks spend extended periods far offshore, beyond typical coastal sighting zones.
Research using electronic tags has shown that basking sharks perform large vertical movements, shifting between surface waters and depths approaching 1,000 meters. These migrations follow daily and seasonal changes in plankton distribution.
💥 Impact (click to read)
Moving between sunlit surface zones and near-dark mesopelagic layers exposes the shark to dramatic shifts in temperature, pressure, and oxygen availability. For an animal exceeding 10 meters in length, these repeated depth transitions demand extreme physiological resilience.
By linking shallow feeding grounds with deep ocean layers, basking sharks help connect ecological processes across vertical ocean boundaries. Their movements illustrate how even seemingly slow, gentle giants operate within dynamic three-dimensional marine systems.
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