Let’s end the week of unusual Wild Facts where it all started.  Of course I am talking about heading back to the sea.  I am going to set up a scenario for you.  You are on vacation in the Phillipines and it is a gorgeous day out, I am talking sunny and hot.  Due to the warmth you decide to try your hand at surfing or maybe boogie boarding.  You paddle out there and you are just about to make your way back in when there is a commotion in the water.  You look back and you see the shark pictured above.  Now this is a 16′ long shark that weighs about 1600 pounds and has a large gaping mouth.  Now basically, you are starting to hear the jaws theme going through your head.  How would you feel? Would you be scared and start paddling like crazy to shore?

Well, if you can remember the Wild Fact about the Blue Whale then you should remember that you can’t judge a book by its cover.  That’s right, the megamouth shark is actually a filter feeder just like the large blue whale.  So you just had a heart attack out in the ocean for nothing!

The megamouth shark was identified in 1976 and since then only 47 specimens have been seen.  Because of this, little is actually known about these sharks but I will tell you some facts that are known.  We know that they are filter feeders that survive on krill (shrimp).  As well, a tagging study has shown that these large beasts actually migrate vertically throughout the day. What this means is they head to the deeper water during the day (i.e. 400′ depth) and move up to the shallow water in the evening.  Why does it migrate like this? Well, they are most likely following the large groups of krill that move up and down through the water column. Because of the large protruding mouth the megamouth shark was classified into an entirely new family.  So, how do these gentle beasts feed? Unfortunately, we have yet to witness the megamouth feeding but it is presumed that they protrude their jaw and expand their mouth while inhaling the shrimp.  They close their mouths and force the shrimp into their stomach.  So the next time you are out in the Pacific Ocean and you see a megamouth shark coming up behind you, don’t panic!

Before you turn off the computer check out this interview that Scientific American did with George Burgess, Director of FLMNH’s Florida Program for Shark Research, here.

I hope you enjoyed Wild Facts – The Weird and Unusual this week.

Have a great weekend!