Basking shark spotted in Torquay Marina

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Basking sharkImage source, Kurt Dettman
Image caption,

A basking shark was spotted in Torquay Marina in Devon

A basking shark has been spotted in a UK marina.

The second largest fish in the world was photographed at Torquay, in Devon.

RNLI volunteers that saw the shark on Wednesday, estimated it was between 10ft (3m) and 12ft (3.7m) long.

It was "an amazing sight indeed", said members of Torquay Water Sports which saw the shark look around the resort's marina before it went back out to sea "almost unnoticed".

Image source, Kurt Dettman
Image caption,

RNLI volunteers estimated the shark was about 12ft (3.7m) long

A spokesperson for RNLI Torbay said there was "no need for panic" as basking sharks eat plankton.

"The largest fish in British waters, basking sharks are typically anything up to 28ft (8.5m) long," they said.

Basking sharks are most often seen on the west coast of the UK and are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

They are the second largest fish after the whale shark and are thought to live for more than 50 years.

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