Megamouth Shark Identification Guide
Spot the Megamouth Shark by its huge rounded head and enormous, rubbery, light-fringed mouth built for filter feeding.
Read the full Megamouth Shark encyclopedia entry →
Key identification features
- Massive, wide, rubbery mouth that extends nearly the full width of a broad, rounded head
- Blackish-brown to grey back with a pale silvery-white band along the upper lip
- Soft, flabby, cylindrical body reaching 4-5.5 m (13-18 ft)
- Small eyes and short, rounded snout
- Long gill slits with pale, comb-like gill rakers used to filter plankton
Common look-alikes
- Basking shark: also filter-feeds but has a pointed snout, huge gill slits nearly encircling the head, and a more streamlined body.
- Whale shark: much larger, with a checkerboard pattern of pale spots and stripes, and a terminal (not underslung) wide mouth.
- Sixgill shark: solid body shape but has a normal-sized mouth and six gill slits, not the oversized filter-feeding mouth.
Where you'll see one
Megamouth Sharks are a rare, deep-water, wide-ranging oceanic species found from roughly 15-1,000 m depth, migrating vertically each day to feed on plankton and small crustaceans near the surface at night; encounters are rare worldwide and mostly documented from strandings or incidental catches.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell a Megamouth Shark from a Basking Shark?
Megamouth has a short, rounded snout and a huge underslung mouth with a pale lip band, while Basking Shark has a pointed snout and enormous gill slits that nearly wrap around the head.
Is the Megamouth Shark's mouth size normal for its body?
No, its mouth is disproportionately large and rubbery compared to its body, an adaptation for filter feeding rather than active hunting.