Quick Facts:

• Despite its size, it is the smallest of the three species of filter-feeding sharks, behind the whale shark and the basking shark

• The mouth is approximately 1.3 meters across (4 feet).

• The Megamouth Shark is a rare shark, with 60 - 200 individuals known by scientists to ever be captured or observed.

• The inside of their mouths are covered with light producing tissue. This might be used to attract crustaceans and other potential prey.

• These sharks live from near the surface to as deep as 4600 meters (15,000 feet). They are believed to only come near the surface at night and spend most of their lives in the dark.

• Although a large shark, the megamouth shark was first discovered in 1976.

• Although it is considered to be a poor swimmer, genetic testing of samples collected from Taiwan and California showed no genetic diversity. This suggests a single highly migratory population (Liu et al., 2018).

• The Megamouth has 50 rows of tiny teeth on each jaw but only the first 3 rows are functional.