Monday 12 July 2010

Seals, Sharks and Cetaceans (2): Basking Sharks off Skye


I mentioned on my Coastcard blog that I had enjoyed watching the wildlife from our vantage point on the shore at Elgol. This is what we saw...




Basking sharks are large creatures. They have frequented these beautiful Hebridean waters for many years. The one we watched trawled up and down the loch in straight lines, presumably ingesting zooplankton. Each shark can apparently filter in excess of 1800 tons of water per hour.

Those who know Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell will remember that he used to hunt for these sharks off the island of Soay (just beyond Elgol) before an otter turned his life around and made him a strong advocate for wildlife conservation.

No comments: