|
Megamouth shark
Megachasma pelagios
This large, black, blubbery shark was unknown to
scientist until one animal accidentally was captured in 1976 outside
Hawaii. Since then only a few more observations of the megamouth shark
have been done.
Very little is known about this species due to the
low number of individuals reported. It lives in the open ocean, often
at great depths, which may explain the rarity of encounters. It appears
to be a plankton feeder, just like the whale shark and the basking
shark. It swims slowly through the water, filtering small crustaceans
and other plankton organisms. During the bright hours of the day it
feeds in deep water and when the night comes it swims up to shallower
water.
The megamouth shark has a large head with a distending mouth
about 1 m wide. The mouth has a silvery lining inside that probably
is reflective, and used to lurk shrimps and other planktons into the
mouth. The jaws are equipped with numerous small teeth. The megmouth
shark can be up to 5,5 m long. It is the only known shark victim of
the cookiecutter shark owing to its soft skin and midwater habit.
(© J. Lokrantz/Azoteimages)
 Further reading
|
|
