Natural History:
It is hard to limit the word "remarkable" to any single aspect
of this shark. Only two other sharks (whale and basking sharks) exceed
this species in size, so the fact that it went unknown to science until
1983 is astounding. It had been collected earlier in the form of decayed
carcasses that were described in newspaper accounts as
"plesiosaurs"!
In addition to being huge, it is a filter
feeder--again like the other living giant sharks--and has perhaps the
smallest teeth relative to size of any shark. Though some ichthyologists
claim that this is a toothless species, the teeth are actually tiny flat
plates, similar to those seen in many rays.
Unlike its giant brethren, megamouth apparently
hunts in deeper waters. The inner surface of the "lips" contain
numerous small bioluminescent organs, so when the shark opens its mouth,
deep-water plankton are attracted to the lights and are consumed.
So far this rarely encountered shark has left
zoologists with little to work with. Some eight or nine specimens have
been collected, and the live ones immediately released.
