MEGAMOUTH SHARK

Disclaimer: Copyright infringement not intended.

Context

• Recently, a pregnant Megamouth Shark, a was discovered washed up on a beach in the Philippines.

Details

• The megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) is a species of deepwater shark.
• It measures around 17 ft long and is the smallest of the three extant filter-feeding sharks alongside the relatively larger whale shark and basking shark. Filter Feeding means: they sift out small plankton (like krill) from the water.
• Like the other two planktivorous sharks, it swims with its mouth wide open, filtering water for plankton and jellyfish.
• It is recognizable from its large head with rubbery lips.
• A relatively poor swimmer, the megamouth has a soft, flabby body and lacks caudal keels.
• Reproduction is ovoviviparous, meaning that the young sharks develop in eggs that remain within the mother's body until they hatch.
• Megamouth sharks are considered to be a species of "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List.