Megachasma pelagios
Average Size – 16ft up to 18ft
Megamouth Sharks have large mouths, hence the name, that are almost 5 feet large with small teeth spread across 50 rows, and a broad-rounded snout. Their interior gill slits are lined with rakers to filter food. They are blackish-brown on top with a white underside. They have a soft-flabby body and are poor swimmers.
Found worldwide in tropical to temperate waters along the coast or in the open ocean and deep sea.
Plankton, Krill, and Jellyfish.
They swim with their mouths open, catching small plankton as they glide through the water.
They spend the day in deeper-darker depths up to 15,000ft and will migrate closer to the surface at night.
It is the smallest of the three filter feeding sharks, behind the Whale Shark and Basking Shark.
Most caught Megamouth Sharks have been found with bite marks from cookie-cutter sharks. They are believed to be easy prey for these parasitic sharks due to their similar migratory patterns and slow swimming speed.
