Cartilaginous fish · Lamniformes · Megachasmidae
Megamouth Shark
Megachasma pelagios
Least Concern
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
The megamouth shark, wide-mouthed shark or big-mouth shark is a species of lamniform fish of the family Megachasmidae. It is a rare species that was discovered on 15 November 1976, when at Kaneohe (Hawaii) the crew of the ship AFB-14 found a specimen tangled in a sea anchor. Its scientific description as a new species was published in 1983 by Taylor, Compagno and Struhsaker.
Weight
600 kg – 1.2 t
Size
4 m – 5.6 m
Life expectancy
100 years
