Megamouth shark is one of the most bizarre-looking sharks. They rarely seen by humans and was first discovered in 1976 by scientists in Hawaii. It’s one of three known filter feeding sharks, including the basking shark and the whale shark.
This species gets its name from the remarkably large and circular mouth. Inside the mouth has a tongue covered with mucosa and about 50 rows of tiny teeth on each jaw, but only the first three rows are functional. They swims with its enormous mouth wide open, filtering water for plankton and jellyfish. Around its mouth, it has photophores which glow and appear to act as baits for small fish or plankton. This shark have a unique physical appearance in that the undersides are white, whereas the top is brownish black in color. Unlike most sharks, it does not have caudal keels. They can grow as long as 17 feet in length and weighs up to 2,600 pounds. The width of its mouth is 4.3 feet.
This species gets its name from the remarkably large and circular mouth. Inside the mouth has a tongue covered with mucosa and about 50 rows of tiny teeth on each jaw, but only the first three rows are functional. They swims with its enormous mouth wide open, filtering water for plankton and jellyfish. Around its mouth, it has photophores which glow and appear to act as baits for small fish or plankton. This shark have a unique physical appearance in that the undersides are white, whereas the top is brownish black in color. Unlike most sharks, it does not have caudal keels. They can grow as long as 17 feet in length and weighs up to 2,600 pounds. The width of its mouth is 4.3 feet.
