The title sounds perhaps a bit more sensational than the actual content of this post, let me explain please. Much like many other readers I was rather annoyed by the news of the "Shark Attack" off Islay's coast. The title of the BBC article reminded me of the movie Jaws but it was nothing more than self defense of a terrified 2 mtr Porbeagle shark which was hauled in a boat by an Irish fisherman. It turned out that no harm was done to the fisherman who caught the animal, which was tagged and released after the incident.

This morning I saw a video of a basking shark off the coast at Portnahaven accompanied, I believe, by music from the movie Jaws. It's a funny video in a way but the music doesn't do justice to these gentle animals. Wikipedia writes: "The basking shark is a passive feeder, filtering zooplankton, small fish and invertebrates from up to 2,000 short tons of water per hour." Basking sharks are very impressive and I've found a beautiful video of basking sharks in the west of Scotland to show you what they look like under water. Enjoy!

Direct link to video on Youtube

Tag: basking shark shark wildlife