The Basking Shark

  At long last I have come to what is arguably Britain's most famous shark. These filter feeding giants are found throughout the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, in addition to much of the Pacific. They feed on plankton and small fish whilst they drift through the seas, open mouthed. They are yet another classic example of a gentle giant: the second biggest fish in the Ocean and yet all they eat are the smallest particles of matter.
  Basking sharks, and other filter feeders, feed by pushing water over their gills and straining plankton from it. They get the water by swimming, which is why filter feeders can not stop moving through water.
  Despite their enthralling size, it is not uncommon for people in New Zealand and California to see basking sharks being hunted by killer whales. Great whites and oceanic whitetips are also known to scavenge a meal from these entrancing sharks' carcasses, but never prey on living specimens due to their reputation for stunning attackers with their heavy tails if defence is required.
  Humans hunt basking sharks for their fins, their liver (for medicinal purposes) and their fat, which is used to make animal feed.

A basking shark filter feeding.

The range of a basking shark.