The Portuguese Navy published last Sunday (16) photos of an elephant shark spotted in Viana do Castelo Park. The animal’s record went viral on social media, mostly because of its huge mouth.
Learn more about the elephant shark:
The scientific name of the species is Cetorhinus maximus. In addition to the elephant shark, the animal is also known as the basking shark and migratory shark.
It is considered the second largest shark species in the world. Only the whale shark is bigger.
It can reach a length of ten meters and weigh between four and six tons. Only its open mouth can have a diameter of one meter.
It is found all over the world and poses no danger to humans. This is because their diet is based on zooplankton and some small fish through filtering.
Elephant Shark Image: Reproduction/DGRM
According to experts, the species can filter more than 2,000 tons of water per hour and travel at a speed of 3.6 km/h. Although slowmoving, the species has a habit of leaping out of the water like dolphins and is not afraid to approach people or boats.
It spends about 90% of its time in the deep ocean and only 10% on the surface. according to National Geographic.
The species was thought to be a loner However, a 2018 study published in the Journal of Fish Biology reported that biologists documented ten sightings of large groups of elephant sharks between 1980 and 2013, totaling around 1,400 elephant sharks.