A 20-foot-long basking shark in New York State

20 foot long basking shark that is alive on a Long Island beach. The basking shark is still alive, so look but don’t touch.

New York State Parks official George Gorman said Tuesday that researchers will examine the shark to determine a cause of death.

After that, it will be buried in nearby sand dunes on the beach.

The world’s second-largest living fish (after the Whale Shark, Rhincodon typus, which grows to lengths of 50 ft [15 m] or more);

individual Baskers 40-45 ft (12.2-13.7 m) long have been reported, unfortunately without supporting evidence; due to habit of swimming in groups nose-to-tail and plesiosaur-like form characteristic of partially decomposed specimens, believed responsible for many ’sea monster’ reports.

Due to long history of commercial exploitation, its natural history is better known than most lamnoids.

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