Megamouth shark: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the megamouth shark lives – recorded in 1 country, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Megachasma pelagios
Group	Sharks
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	1 country
Continents	Asia
Class	Cartilaginous fish
Order	Lamniformes
Family	Megachasmidae

Where does the megamouth shark live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the megamouth shark in 1 country or territory across Asia. Wikidata gives its range as: Brazil.

Philippines

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the megamouth shark endangered?

The megamouth shark’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the megamouth shark?

The megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) is a cartilaginous fish in the order Lamniformes and the family Megachasmidae, genus Megachasma. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the megamouth shark

The megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) is a species of deepwater shark. Rarely seen by humans, it measures around 4–5.5 m (13–18 ft) long and is the smallest of the three extant filter-feeding sharks alongside the much larger whale shark and basking shark. According to Sharkman's World Organization, a total of 296 specimens have been observed or caught since its discovery in 1976. Like the other two planktivorous sharks, it swims with its mouth wide open, filtering water for plankton and jellyfish. The diet of megamouth sharks mainly consists of zooplanktonic organisms like krill, jellyfish, shrimp larvae, squat lobsters, and crab larvae. It is recognizable from its large head with rubbery lips. The megamouth is so unlike any other type of shark that it is usually considered to be the sole extant species in the family Megachasmidae, though some scientists have suggested it may belong in the family Cetorhinidae.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Megamouth shark (revision 1380931299), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q106728 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).