What is the scientific name of the basking shark?

The scientific name of the basking shark is Cetorhinus maximus.

This enormous filter-feeding shark is the second-largest living fish, surpassed only by the whale shark. It feeds mainly on plankton by swimming with its huge mouth open and filtering seawater through specialized gill rakers. Despite its intimidating size, it is generally harmless to people.

Cetorhinus is the only living genus in the family Cetorhinidae. Norwegian bishop and naturalist Johan Ernst Gunnerus formally described the species in 1765 from a specimen found in Norway. The species name maximus is Latin for “greatest,” reflecting the shark’s remarkable size.

A common mix-up is with Rhincodon typus, the whale shark, which is larger and belongs to a different family. Galeocerdo cuvier is the tiger shark, while Carcharodon carcharias is the great white shark. Basking sharks are usually grayish-brown and often seen near the surface in temperate seas.