Basking Shark
Cetorhinus maximus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassElasmobranchii
- OrderLamniformes (Mackerel Sharks)
- FamilyCetorhinidae
- GenusCetorhinus
- SpeciesCetorhinus maximus (Basking Shark)
The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is the second-largest living shark and fish, after the whale shark. It is one of three plankton-eating shark species, along with the whale shark and megamouth shark. Typically, basking sharks reach 7.9 m (26 ft) in length, but large individuals have been known to grow more than 10 m (33 ft) long. It is usually greyish-brown, with mottled skin, with the inside of the mouth being white in colour. The caudal fin has a strong lateral keel and a crescent shape. Other common names include bone shark, elephant shark, sailfish, and sunfish. Wikipedia →
20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Basking Shark sighting in Channel Islands National Park, based on 14 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Channel Islands National Park
📅 Monthly Probability
🌅 When They're Spotted
Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Basking Shark in Channel Islands National Park?
About 26% of wildlife watchers report a Basking Shark sighting in Channel Islands National Park, based on 14 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Basking Shark in Channel Islands National Park?
February has the highest sighting rate for Basking Shark in Channel Islands National Park in our monthly data.