At the time of their discovery, many people believed that no large shark species were left to be discovered and the megamouth was a shock to the scientific community.
Scientific Name: Megachasma pelagios
Characteristics: Megamouth sharks are poor swimmers and they lack the sleek muscular look of many other large sharks. They can reach sizes of up to eighteen feet and weigh over 2600 pounds.
History
Megamouth sharks are still a mystery on many levels. They have only been known to science since the 1970's but it is likely that humans have encountered them before that sighting. Fossils now believed to be from an extinct megamouth species were found before the 1976 discovery but they were not associated with the modern species for decades. Sharks have a long fossil history dating from 450 million years ago, predating dinosaurs. Today, there are nearly five hundred recognized species of shark with more still to be discovered.