(Photo by Alan James)
Basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus)&nbsp;are  recognized by their huge sizes, conical snouts,  extremely large gill slits, and dark bristle-like gill rakers inside the  gills (present most of the year). Basking sharks are the second largest fish, only surpassed by the whale shark. Their  average size is 6.7-8.8m. The largest measured basking shark was 9.75m, and a 9.14m long individual was recorded that weighed 3,900kg. There are also unconfirmed reports of basking sharks up to 13.7m long. The basking 