While the nickname suggests the megamouth, Megachasma pelagios, is known to have a large mouth on a round head and they are thought to grow up to 17 feet, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. There have only been about 70 confirmed sightings of the escaping shark in the world, according to the museum.
Now, a megamouth that was caught by fishermen off the coast of Taiwan in 2018, sits on a giant ice block at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Support Center. The Smithsonian published the news on Tuesday through an article in her magazine.
“When it comes to sharks, they are probably one of the most unique and strange species,” said Paul Clerkin, a graduate researcher at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, in the article.
“Her mouth just stays open and her upper jaw closes like a convertible hood.”
The shark can reach weights of 2,600 pounds and is considered the smallest of the three species of filter-listening sharks, behind the whale shark and the basking shark, according to conservation group Oceana. The first known megamouth was accidentally discovered by the U.S. Navy in 1976 in the waters of Hawai’i.
The crew used two parachute-like anchorages that reach depths of 500 feet, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. When the anchors were lifted up, she discovered that a 1500 pound megamouth was in the lines. It did not survive.
Since then, confirmed sightings of sharks around the world have occurred in the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Oceans, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.
Discover clues about the shark’s evolution
Clerkin, who is collecting the new Smithsonian specimen in Taiwan, will work with other researchers to discover clues behind the life of this mysterious animal. But they will work against the clock, because the specimen will start to decay.
“Understanding the life history of sharks is important, especially because we do not know their full role in marine ecosystems or how sensitive they are to man-made pressures,” Clerking said. “They’re a big influence on the world.”
After research is complete, the shark will be stored with formaldehyde and then ethyl alcohol for long-term storage, according to the Smithsonian. It will include the more than six million other specimens in the museum’s fisheries department’s collections.
“Even if we never collect one again, we will still know that megamouth sharks existed on earth at this time,” said Dr. Lynne Parenti, the curator of Indo-Pacific freshwater and coastal fish at the museum, in the article. “We’re saving this for everyone for what it shows about basic biodiversity. It could also answer questions that have not yet been asked.”
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