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Steven Prevett, 13, of Pocasset, shot this video of a basking shark in the vicinity of the Pocasset River in Cape Cod on Wednesday.

State shark guru Greg Skomal reviewed the video and a screen capture at the request of the Cape Cod Times and identified the animal in an email as a small basking shark, not uncommon for Cape waters this time of year.

According to information on the website of the Florida Museum of Natural History, basking sharks can reach lengths of up to 40 feet, are filter feeders and are "not considered dangerous to the passive observer and are generally tolerant of divers and boats."

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Prevett said the shark appeared to be about 12 feet long and stayed in the vicinity of the Pocasset River for about two hours. He said at one point the animal nearly beached itself in shallow water.