An unlikely resident of Welsh waters, this gentle giant of the sea has been known to find itself journeying from North Atlantic waters to the Pembrokeshire coast on occasion.

The second largest fish in the world, its vast open mouth feeds only on plankton, and its estimated that it takes in around 1,482,000 litres of water an hour. Reaching sizes of up to 12.3 metres, the average Basking Shark is not quite so gargantuan, clocking in at around 8.9m metres for the female and 6.5 metres for the male.

Basking sharks continue to be under threat - find out more about the UK Government's attempts to restrict trade in Basking shark products on the BBC News website here

Find out more about Basking Sharks from the BBC Wildfacts website by clicking here.