Introducing: The Megamouth Shark
When most people think of sharks they think of white sharks breaching and tiger sharks in crystal clear Bahamian waters. So when a rare deep-sea megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) washed up in the Philippines early this year, I had a lot of people contacting me asking if it was even real. You bet your bottom dollar it was real and here are some facts and photo’s to stimulate your inquisitive brains.
1. Only discovered in 1976
It was first discovered in Hawaii, just 38 years ago, in 1976 after accidently being caught in a deep-sea anchor. The large 4.46m shark was eventually transported to the National Marine Fisheries Service where it was later confirmed that neither the genus or species had previously been described.
2. Huge gaping of the sea
The scientific name Megachasma pelagios, translates from Latin into, huge (mega) gaping or yawning (chasma) of the sea (pelagios).
3. Only 59 documented sightings
As of writing this post, 06 July 2014, only 59 confirmed sightings have been documented (the 59th being the sighting last week in the Philippines). Most sightings have been in Taiwan, Japan and Philippines, and are usually a consequence of by-catch. They have also been found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. A full list of the 59 megamouths can be found here.
4. Can reach nearly 6m long
The largest confirmed speciemen was a carcass found in Taiwan that measured a whopping 5.8m (~19 feet) but there have been suggestions that they can reach even bigger than this.
5. Closest relative is the thresher shark
Megamouths closest living relative is actually the thresher shark but you wouldn’t think it on looks alone.
7. Planktivorous engulfment feeder
The megamouth shark is one of only three known plankton feeding sharks, including the basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) and the whale shark (Rhincodon typus). Whilst it was initially believed that this shark would suck in its mainly krill based diet, it is now believed that it performs engulfment feeding. Engulfment feeding is typical of baleen whales but this is the only species of shark that is thought to use this mechanism to feed [3].
8. Bioluminescent assisted feeding
It is believed that the slow swimming megamouth shark may make use of a highly reflective, luminescent mouth, which may act as a light trap to attract prey (imagine its mouth like an underwater electric flytrap found in kitchens). It has also been proposed that a bioluminescent strip above the mouth may also be used in a similar way, although neither of these behaviours have been proven.
9. Automatic electronic food detectors
Although they have the lowest abundance ampullary pores (electro-sensory organs) of any described shark, the arrangement of the pores “would allow for the detection of planktonic organisms around the head as the shark swims through the water (horizontally and vertically).”
10. Twilight inspired movements
By acoustically tracking an individual shark in 1990, scientists were able to ascertain that this mysterious shark undertakes crepuscular (occurring during dusk and dawn) vertical migrations. During the daytime, the shark spent most of its time in deeper waters (400-500m) then at night, migrated to shallower waters. This behavior, often termed “diel vertical migration”, is common in other sharks and is typically associated with the following of prey items that adopt similar movements.
11. Preyed on by sharks and whales
Documented predators of the megamouth shark include sperm whales, orcas and other sharks. Various specimens have also washed ashore with circular shaped wounds torn from their flesh, which is typically indicative off cookiecutter shark predation.
12. Best way to be eaten is battered and deep fried.
After processing the 7th ever recorded megamouth shark specimen in 1995, researchers couldn’t resist the temptation of tasting a piece of this mystery creature they had just dissected and analysed. They were subsequently treated to 3 different preparations of some dorsal muscle. Battered & fried is apparently the best way to eat this shark!! [7]
“The next day Director Wakisaka had megamouth prepared, from a small piece of dorsal muscle, as a final treat for Jose and Genie: fried, poached with French sauce, and tempura style. Tempura was best”.
So that is the Megamouth shark. Rare, elusive, mysterious, plankton feeding giant of the deep.
For me the megamouth shark is the perfect poster child for deep-sea mysteries. It is quite outstanding that in days of such high fishing pressures, this shark has remained, at most, hidden from the public eye. It does make you think how many other creatures there are in the deep-sea that we still don’t know about. (and before you say it, no this does not mean Megalodon could still be alive. It just simply isn’t).
Christopher Bird
(Twitter: @SharkDevocean)