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Basking shark (symbolic image): Such an animal is said to have been last seen in the region around Trieste in 2015

Photo: George Karbus Pho / Image Source / IMAGO

The Italian coast near Trieste is a popular bathing region - apparently not just for people.

A basking shark was spotted between Santa Croce and Marina di Aurisina and is now estimated to be around eight meters long.

This is wonderful news for the biodiversity in the Gulf of Trieste, writes the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) in a statement.

It gives hope for species that are increasingly threatened throughout the Mediterranean.

The basking shark – Cetorhius maximus – was discovered last weekend, according to a report from “Trieste Prima”.

Photos and videos have gone viral among fishermen and sailors.

According to researchers, the fin that sticks out of the water is unmistakable.

The association “La Triblù” published a video on social media that is supposed to show the animal off the coast.

The OGS is also certain: the photos show a basking shark.

This is a rare observation for the region; a basking shark was last spotted there in 2015.

"It is a species that occurs in temperate seas all over the world and is capable of migrating thousands of kilometers," said Diego Borme from the OGS, according to the statement.

Basking sharks are considered the second largest known fish on earth.

They spend much of the year away from the coast and the surface of the water.

This is one of the reasons why not much is known about the animals' habitat and their migrations, scientists wrote about a study in 2017.

more on the subject

  • Basking Shark Migration: Stay or Go?

  • German North Sea: minke whales and basking sharks spotted

It is said that basking sharks usually swim alone, calmly and calmly.

They have their mouths wide open.

Their special anatomy allows them to filter out food and in this way catch plankton, animal and plant organisms floating around in the water.

The animals, which occur in cold to moderately warm waters in both hemispheres, are endangered by commercial fishing.

According to OGS, raccoon sharks were caught particularly in northern seas because oil could be made from their liver and a special leather could be made from their skin.

But pollution of the seas and accidents with ships also cause problems for them.

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