by R.A. Scott

Created on: August 29, 2007   Last Updated: October 13, 2009

For the Megamouth Shark confirmation came relatively late, it wasn't until November of 1976 that a specimen was accidentally caught. When it was finally identified in 1983 as a new species it was given the scientific name "Megachasma pelagios". The common name is pretty self explanatory, if you've ever seen a picture of this ugly beast. This shark was 14.6 feet long.

The Megamouth is a filter feeder. If you are familiar with Whale Sharks or Basking Sharks, then you'll know that this creature filters plankton through its gills. The body is a brown-black color with a white belly. Megamouth has a lot of tiny teeth that are curved backward. The likely maximum size could be 17 feet although no one is certain. The Megamouths' ancestors include the Thresher Shark and it is very distantly related to the Basking Shark. It is known that the Megamouth has a relatively small brain.

The Megamouth Shark has been found in Pacific waters. It seems to range from Southern California to Malaysia and Japan. A female shark was found washed up on Japanese beaches which gave scientists a great opportunity to study the female of the species which has been more elusive than the male. The Shark has apparently been spotted swimming on the surface near Southern California. Generally though, it is thought that the Megamouth feeds in depth of 150 to 1000 meters. A few species have been spotted in the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil and the African coast.

Due to the fact that we only have a minimal amount of knowledge about the Megamouth we do not know a lot about its' mating habits. Scientists are also in the dark with regards to the number of pups that the females have. Clearly many more sharks need to be captured or found dead so that more research can be done on these elusive creatures.

So far, the only known predator of the Megamouth Shark is the Sperm Whale. Off the coast of Indonesia in late summer of 1998, Whale researchers witnessed a pod of Sperm Whales apparently attacking a lone Megamouth Shark. Previously, it was thought that Sperm Whales were generally squid eaters. This may change the scientific view of the Sperm Whale. It has been noted on several sharks that there were gouges in its skin that resembled the bite of a Cookie Cutter shark. Could the Cookie Cutter find the Megamouth a tasty treat? From what has been observed, it would be easy for another shark to make a Megamouth lunch because the shark is supposedly a very poor swimmer.

These sharks are so elusive that to date science has only noted 38 individuals and not all of these were caught. Some of the 38 we simply observed swimming near the surface. There is a whole lot more that science needs to learn about these sharks and considering that the first one was only found in 1976 and not classified until 1983 they have so much to learn. The Megamouth shark will continue to fascinate science for years to come.

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