The first documented occurrence of a basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus, in the Gulf of Mexico was reported off Sarasota, Florida in 1969 and was considered peculiar as the species is considered to be limited to cold water habitats. Recently, four separate sightings of individual basking sharks within the northern Gulf of Mexico have occurred indicating the species, while not common, might not be as rare in the region as once considered. All four sightings occurred in shallow coastal waters off northern Florida during March of 2010, 2011. Analyses of satellite imagery indicated that the presence of basking sharks in north-eastern Gulf of Mexico waters coincided with an intrusion of oceanic Loop Current waters into coastal waters.
