DIET AND FEEDING HABITS Basking sharks are filter feeders that sieve small animals from the water' A

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DIET AND FEEDING HABITSBasking sharks are filter
feeders that sieve small animals from the water.
As the basking shark swims with its mouth open,
masses of water filled with prey flow through its
mouth. The prey includes plankton, baby fish, and
fish eggs. After closing its mouth, the shark
uses gill rakers that filter the nourishment from
the water. Gill rakers are bristly structures
(the thousands of bristles are about 4 inches or
10 cm long) in the shark's mouth that trap the
small organisms which the shark then swallows.
The water is expelled through the shark's 5 pairs
of gill slits. The shark can process over 1500
gallons (6000 liters) of water each hour.