How many megamouth sharks are left?

As of 5 March 2018, only 99 megamouth specimens had been caught or sighted. They have been found in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan have each yielded at least 10 specimens, the most of any single area, amounting to more than half the worldwide total.

Did the megamouth shark go extinct?

LOS ANGELES — Scientists have finally identified a new species of megamouth shark that prowled the oceans about 23 million years ago, nearly 50 years after the first teeth were discovered and then forgotten.

Is the megamouth shark rare?

The megamouth shark is a rare shark and a large species, reaching weights of 2700 pounds (1215 kg). However, it is the smallest of the three species of filter-feeding sharks, behind the whale shark and the basking shark. Even large species may go undiscovered in the large deep sea.

How old do megamouth sharks get?

3. Life Expectancy. Sadly, due to its elusive behavior, the life expectancy of a megamouth shark remains unknown. But for now, the life span of those observed so far is determined by counting the growth rings sported on its vertebrae.

Could the megalodon survive today?

But could megalodon still exist? ‘No. It’s definitely not alive in the deep oceans, despite what the Discovery Channel has said in the past,’ notes Emma. The sharks would leave telltale bite marks on other large marine animals, and their huge teeth would continue littering the ocean floors in their tens of thousands.

Are there any megamouth sharks in the ocean?

There have been 69 confirmed sightings. Locations include Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. As with the two other filter-feeding sharks, the basking and whale sharks, this species is wide-ranging. However, the megamouth is considered to be a poor swimmer (Ebert et al., 2013).

Where did the megamouth shark in the Philippines die?

On March 30, 2009, off Burias Island in the Philippines, an 880- to 1,100-pound (400- to 500-kg) 4-metre (13-foot) megamouth shark died while struggling in a fisherman’s net and was subsequently taken to nearby Donsol in Sorsogon province, where it was examined by scientists, before being butchered and sold.

How are the pups of a megamouth shark developed?

The megamouth shark is an ovoviviparous species. Therefore the pups are developed inside the mother’s body until their birth. The genders separate and look the same as adults.

How is the megamouth shark an example of convergent evolution?

The megamouth’s filter-feeding adaptations likely evolved independently from other extant filter-feeding sharks, even the lamniform basking shark, making it an example of convergent evolution. In 1990, a 4.9-m (16-foot) male megamouth shark was caught near the surface off Dana Point, California.