To feed the world’s thirst for basking-shark livers, fishermen once slaughtered the animals en masse. Between 1946 and 1986, harpoon fisheries in Ireland, Scotland, and Norway killed 77,204 of them.

Basking sharks are the second largest fish in the seas, averaging about 25 feet long, though some have been reported at over 30 feet, and even 40 feet long. Only the whale shark is larger.

The basking shark spotted by the Coales on Saturday stayed near their boat for about 15 minutes. ... fish eggs and small shrimp-like creatures about the size of a grain of rice.

A 26-foot Basking Shark washed up near Hog Island this week, ... fish eggs and fish larvae by keeping their three-foot-wide mouths open while swimming through patches of the critters, ...

He said basking sharks, which can grow to 30 to 40 feet in length, are so-called "filter feeders" and feed on plankton, larval fish, fish eggs and copepods — small crustaceans common to both ...

There are more viviparous shark species – those that bear live young – than sharks that lay eggs. But throughout Earth’s oceans, viviparity occurs in a variety of forms. Whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, ...

Oddly, a basking shark is responsible for the U.K.’s only fatal shark encounter. In 1937, a breaching basking shark unintentionally capsized a boat, causing the deaths of three people onboard.

An endangered female basking shark was near the surface of the water off the coast of Ireland in April when the keel of a boat cut across her back. Researchers says it's the first such recording.

The basking shark is a massive creature, growing up to 40 feet (12 meters) long, and is among the largest fish in the world — second only to the whale shark. Basking sharks are also endangered.

Basking sharks are up to 30 feet long, and they filter feed on plankton. This stranded 24-foot shark likely weighed around two tons, which is about 4,000 pounds.