Researchers delighted

Eight-meter-long basking shark spotted off Trieste

The fin gave the basking shark away and is enough for researchers to identify the species.(Bild: ogs.it/Marine Protected Area of Miramare)

A basking shark about eight meters long has been spotted between Santa Croce and Marina di Aurisina in the Gulf of Trieste. Researchers are delighted about the sighting.

"This is wonderful news for the Gulf of Trieste and its biodiversity and gives hope for species that are increasingly threatened throughout the Mediterranean," writes the National Institute of Oceanograhy And Applied Geophysics about the sighting.

The sighting of the specimen - which can be seen in the published photo (see below) - was reported to the Miramare Marine Protected Area in recent days and the species has already been confirmed by experts. The last basking shark sighting was in 2015.

Basking shark(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

The sighting of the specimen was reported to the Miramare Marine Protected Area in the last few days.(Bild: ogs.it/Marine Protected Area of Miramare)

Sensitive, endangered sea creatures
"It is a species that occurs in oceans all over the world and is capable of migrating thousands of kilometers," says researcher Diego Borme. Basking sharks are considered fragile creatures and endangered. They are only sexually mature between the ages of 16 and 20 and give birth to a maximum of six young every two to four years. In the past, the animals were hunted for their liver and oil.

The name "basking shark" comes from the fact that the young of this species have a rather long and curved snout, somewhat reminiscent of a trunk.

"It usually swims alone, calm and seemingly relaxed, at a few knots of speed. Often with its mouth wide open while it filters plankton organisms, which it retains in the back of its throat thanks to its filtering apparatus - which consists of long and thick spines on the gill arches," informs the National Institute of Oceanograhy And Applied Geophysics.