Biology
The Biomechanics of Filter Feeding in Basking Sharks and Its Impact on Plankton Community Structure
Quick fact
A basking shark can filter up to 2,000 tonnes of seawater per hour, using over 1,000 gill rakers that act like a fine sieve, capturing plankton while letting water flow through.
Why this is interesting
You've seen a whale shark or a baleen whale, but the second-largest fish on Earth—the basking shark—feeds by simply swimming with its mouth wide open. How can such a giant survive on animals smaller than a grain of rice, and what happens to those plankton when it does?