The basking shark’s scientific name, Cetorhinus maximus, roughly translates to “great-nosed sea monster” in Greek. In reality, these placid sharks, found the world over, are totally harmless.

The sighting of a basking shark in Cornwall this week has been dubbed "exciting" by a wildlife trust. It comes after a video emerged on social media of the animal in St Ives harbour. Abby Crosby ...