SharkCam has filmed sharks off the coast of Scotland for the first time

Special cameras have been used for the first time in the waters surrounding the UK to monitor the behaviour of basking sharks. The device was fitted to an AUV and used on the west coast of Scotland, where these sharks congregate for breeding, after returning from West African waters.

The basking shark, also known as the basking shark, is the second largest shark species in the world. Despite its large size, it is harmless to humans because, like the whale shark, it feeds on plankton. Unfortunately, due to its steadily declining population, the species is threatened with extinction.

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What made the scientists even more pleased was that the sharks captured on film had gathered to breed and not to forage for food. Although they were recorded consuming plankton close to the surface with their mouths open, the most important sequences were when they stayed close to the bottom for a long time and did not feed.

While we were unable to capture courtship or mating behaviour, this novel study has shed more light on the lives of these spectacular giant fish. ‘Thefact that the sharks spent much more time swimming just above the seabed than we previously thought they did with their mouths closed is really interesting, especially as this species is often thought of as a pelagic or surface feeding shark,’ said Dr Suzanne Henderson of NatureScot