basking shark – Lee Duigon

Behold the paddlefish, peacefully going about its business of feeding on microscopic plankton. Like the basking shark, it swims with its mouth gaping wide open, with its gills to filter out the goodies. If it weren’t for the paddle, you might mistake it for a freshwater basking shark.

But it only looks like a paddle. It’s packed with special sense organs to help the fish find food.

Paddlefish fossils are found all over the world, but today these fish live only in the Mississippi River and some of its tributaries. Up until recently they also lived in China; but with their customary reckless disregard for just about everything, the communists have driven the Chinese paddlefish into extinction. Along with the freshwater whale… and the Chinese alligator has just about had it, too.

I would love to see one of these in person, underwater. But it ain’t gonna happen in New Jersey.

Anyone who didn’t know better could be forgiven for freaking out at the sight of a 30-foot shark–especially if you’re in a kayak or a rowboat. But in fact, there’s nothing to fear.

Jambo, everybody, Mr. Nature here, with some more of God’s stuff. The basking shark is the world’s second-largest fish, right behind the much rarer whale shark. Not long ago there was a major basking shark fishery, but that had to be reined in when the sharks started getting scarce.

These enormous sharks eat plankton and tiny crustaceans, not people. Sometimes a dead basking shark will wash up on the beach, and because of the unusual way in which their boneless carcasses decay, they wind up being taken for mysterious sea monsters.

I’m Mr. Nature, I know about basking sharks; but in all honesty, if I were out there in my rowboat and one of these babies came along, I think I’d probably freak out, too.