Photo by bertiegregory | A basking shark cruises along the west coast of Scotland. After locating a plankton patch, this giant opened its mouth and blasted right through it. The white gill arches contain rakers—structures that snag plankton from water passing through its mouth. Unlike many other species of filter feeder able to pump water through gill rakers, basking sharks feed passively. This means they must swim to eat. Given their size, they need to do a lot of eating—and therefore a lot of swimming. It’s estimated they can filter two million liters (500,000 gallons) of water per hour! Follow bertiegregory for more wildlife adventures. #britishwildlife #underwater #freediving #baskingshark #shark #finspirechange #scotland