. Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission. Fisheries -- United States; Fish-culture -- United States. FISHES OF THE GULF OF MAINE 41 Habits and food.—So rare (and fortunately so) is this shark even in the tropics that practically nothing is known of its habits. It feeds on large fish, on sea turtles, and perhaps on porpoises. Off the California coast sea lions also fall prey to it—vide Jordan and Evermann's account of a young sea lion of 100 pounds weight in the stomach of a 30-foot white shark. As to its breeding habits nothing is known, though presumably it is viviparous like its close
. Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission. Fisheries -- United States; Fish-culture -- United States. FISHES OF THE GULF OF MAINE 41 Habits and food.—So rare (and fortunately so) is this shark even in the tropics that practically nothing is known of its habits. It feeds on large fish, on sea turtles, and perhaps on porpoises. Off the California coast sea lions also fall prey to it—vide Jordan and Evermann's account of a young sea lion of 100 pounds weight in the stomach of a 30-foot white shark. As to its breeding habits nothing is known, though presumably it is viviparous like its close relatives. /-\. Fig. 15.—Basking shark (Cctorhinus maiimux) 14. Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus Gunner) Bone shark Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 51. Garman, 1913, p. 39. Description.—The basking shark resembles the other mackerel sharks in its lunate tail, which is much broader than long and with the lower lobe but little shorter than the upper; in the presence of a strong "fore and aft" keel on either side of the root of the tail; in the fact that the second dorsal fin is very much smaller than the first; and in its form, tapering in both directions to snout and tail. However, it is set apart from all other sharks by the enormously long gill slits, which extend nearly right around the neck, and—even more significant— that alone of all its tribe, except its relative the whale shark (Rhinodon), it has rakers on its gill arches, suggesting (though not corresponding to) those of herring, menhaden, etc., among bony fishes. It was the fancied resemblance of these rakers to the whalebone of the whalebone whales that suggested the vernacular name "bone shark" to the whalemen of olden times. Corresponding to its feeding habits, the mouth of the basking shark is very large, but its teeth are very small though numerous. I need only note further that the triangular first dorsal fin stands midway between pectorals and ventrals, and though the back fi
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