What is a Megamouth Shark?

Giant mouth shark (scientific name: Megachasma pelagios ): 1 genus and 1 species in the world. It is 4-5.5 meters in length and can weigh up to 1 ton (1215 kg). It has a large head and a large mouth, and fine teeth become whiskers. Like sharks of the genus Sharks and whale sharks, it feeds on plankton. It has a light emitter near the mouth and may be used to attract prey. The tail is long, but unlike the long-tailed shark family, the upper half of the leaf is less pronounced. Body color is brown-black, belly is white. Unlike other species of rat sharks, the snouts of giant mouth sharks are more rounded and inconspicuous.

Inhabit the ocean, deep sea, and offshore coasts. Filter feeding of rare ocean migrations

Giant mouth sharks are very rare fish species. Inactive by nature, possibly more than

Distributed in Australia (Western Australia), Brazil (Rio de Janeiro), China (), Ecuador, Indonesia (Sulawesi), Japan, Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur), Peru, Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, United States (California, Hawaii), Vietnam. ^[2]

Giant mouth sharks live in the deep ocean and are very rare. Most specimens have been collected by museums for marine fishery research and use. Reports from Southeast Asia capture indicate some potential impacts on fisheries. However, due to the lack of catch data and life history information, it is difficult to determine the impact of this species on catches. Based on the size and depth distribution predictions of giant mouth sharks in 2014, they are threatened by significant fisheries and face an increased risk of extinction. There is evidence that giantmouth sharks are frequently caught by gillnet fisheries in Taiwan and have been caught repeatedly in the Philippines and Sri Lanka in 2015. ^[2]

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On November 15, 1976, the U.S. hydrogeographic survey ship "MBC" completed a survey of 4,800 meters deep in the northern part of the Hawaiian Islands, and accidentally captured a 4.5 meter long while pulling back an umbrella fall arrester. A very large fish weighing 750 kg, and it actually has a large mouth of 1 meter wide. This is the first giant shark discovered by humans, a male giant shark. It is preserved in the Honolulu Museum and belongs to a little-known shark community.

The second giantmouth shark was caught eight years later in November 1984 on Santa Catarina Island, not far from California. The fish was said to have been the focus of news at the time. Since then, the search for bigmouth sharks has begun. From 1988 to 1990, four more bigmouth sharks were found in the Indian Ocean in Western Australia, the Japanese Sea (2) and the California Sea. Unfortunately, all of the above 6 items are male.

Until November 1994, a female bigmouth shark was finally found off the coast of Fukuoka, Kyushu Island, Japan. Within 2 hours, CNN demonstrated the 4.8-meter-long, 800-kilogram-like weight in the world. The American expert arrived arrived and identified that this is a large-mouth shark that has never given birth. The ovary is only 3 mm in size and seems to be developing.

As of 2011, only 50 were found worldwide. In mid-March 2006, fishermen from Qipu Town, Yueqing County, Zhejiang Province caught a 4,560mm shark in the waters of the South China Sea (near Taiwan). It has been identified as giant mouth shark , which is a new record species of sharks along the coast of mainland China. It is also the 36th record in the world. On March 26, 2006, this giant mouth shark was transported to Lucheng Specimen Craft Factory, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, and made a specimen.

In June 2011, Mr. Liu Ming, the director of the Lucheng Specimen Craft Factory in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, opened the new building of the Wenzhou Jinzhou Zoological Museum. The giant shark specimen was displayed on the first floor of the Ocean World.

In addition to whale sharks and bream sharks, giant mouth sharks are the third type of shark that is known to feed on plankton. The largest giant mouth shark sample is 5.63 meters in length, which also means that, like other shark species that depend on plankton, they can grow into giant fish.

Giant mouth sharks and great white sharks are close relatives to barb-knock sharks, and they seem to be as widespread as both. Giant sharks can be caught offshore in Senegal, South Africa, Brazil, the Philippines, Thailand and other places. Especially in California and Japan, several giant sharks have been found. These two areas are likely to be this mysterious creature Breeding ground. Giant mouth sharks seem to eat on the surface of the sea during the night, and sneak into the depths of the sea during the day. They seem to be slower and slower than the movement of sharks. Some people have seen giant mouth sharks prey on sperm whales.

On February 6, 2015, Filipino fishermen found a rare giant shark on the coast of the Philippines. The shark was nearly 4.6 meters long and was dead when found. ^[3]