Large pelagic pelagic: photo, description

Megachasma pelagios, a pelagic bigmouth shark, is one of three species whose diet consists of plankton. It was first discovered in 1976. This is the only species in the family. The shark is ranked among the world's rarest fish. Scientists managed to investigate only a third of living specimens from forty-seven found individuals of this species. It is assumed that there are not more than 100 of them.

Legends and myths

The information that pelagic large-sized sharks were known in the previous centuries, no. One can only assume that it was these individuals that became the basis of many legends about sea monsters, which are a mixture of whales and sharks.

Many coastal peoples have stories that tell about meetings of people with large sea monsters. One of the legends tells of a semi-arctic semi-kite with a huge mouth.

The discovery of the pelagic whaling of the shark

For the first time Megachasma pelagios, a large-sized shark, was caught in Hawaii, near the island of Oaxy. This was documented. The male shark was found in 1976, the fifteenth of November. Its length was 4.46 meters. This rare specimen was caught by the crew of an American ship passing by. She tried to snack the cables in which she had become entangled. The caught "monster" in the form of a scarecrow was sent to the museum in Honolulu.

Where did the name come from

In the name of this shark is the word "big-mouthed". By this name, people awarded a miracle fish for a giant jaw. A "pelagic" was named because of the habitat. It is assumed that this species of sharks lives in the mesopilagic zone, at a depth of 150 to 500 m. But just as scientists are not sure. There is an opinion that it can sink and deep.

Habitat Habitat

Pelagic bigmouth shark is found in all oceans, except the Arctic. Most of all, it is found in the Southern Hemisphere. Most often, Megachasma pelagios can be found off the coast of California, Japan and Taiwan. Scientists believe that this unique fish is distributed around the world, but still prefer to dwell in warm latitudes. This is also confirmed by the fact that the giant whale was caught near the Hawaiian Islands, South Australia, Africa and South America. It is often found off the coast of Ecuador.

After the story with the first individual, the second was caught only eight years later, next to the island of Santa Catalina, in 1984. Scarecrow was sent to the Los Angeles Museum. After that, the larger-sized fishes were seen more often. From 1988-1990. They were met at the coast of Western Australia, Japan and California. In 1995 - on the coast of Senegal and Brazil.

Description

The big-headed shark, the photo of which is in this article, refers, like everyone else, to the cartilaginous class. The skeleton is a soft cartilage. The tissues contain a lot of water. Therefore, the big-mouthed shark is very slow (speed about two kilometers per hour). It can not develop a great speed physically. Its weight reaches one and a half tons, which makes it clumsy and slow.

The body is flabby and soft, characteristic of deep-sea ones. But this structure does not allow it to sink. Teeth are arranged in twenty-three rows. In each there are almost 300 small denticles. The mouth is surrounded by photophores around the edge, serving for luring plankton and small fish. Thanks to the phosphorescent lips, the largescale shark is considered to be the largest glowing fish.

Its growth reaches a meter in width, and the length of the trunk is over five. This shark is a bit like a killer whale. So sometimes it is mistaken for a young whale. The body of the big-mouthed shark is dark. Above - black and brown, and belly - white. It differs from other species by a giant dark-gray (or brown) jaw. Her nose is stupid. This amazing fish is a big good-natured giant and is absolutely safe for people, although it looks very intimidating and can easily scare a person ignorant.

Food

Forty years ago a new species of fish was found - Sharks more large. What does this giant eat? Previously, only two species of sharks were known to feed on plankton. Bolsherotaya became the third on this list. Small microorganisms were found in the stomachs of the dead individuals.

The main diet of the large-sized shark is plankton, consisting of jellyfish, crayfish, etc. Most of all, this giant fish likes reddish crayfish euphausiids (otherwise - krill, or black eyes). They dwell in great depth, so the shark periodically falls after them for 150 meters.

A shark like a whale feeds, according to the same principle. Only they pass the plankton through the mouth passively. A large-sized shark deliberately filters water and swallows every four minutes.

Noticing a flock of beloved crustaceans, opens a huge mouth and sucks water into it, pressing the tongue against the palate. On it there are "stamens", otherwise - outgrowths. They are very often located, length - up to fifteen centimeters. Then the shark squeezes water back through the close gills. Small krill remains on the outgrowths. The crustaceans can slip out. If you're lucky, only through the small numerous teeth of a large-sized shark. After filtering the water, she swallows everything that remains in her mouth.

Behavior

Night pelagic big-headed shark spends at a depth of not more than 15 meters. And the day falls much lower - up to 150 m. Scientists suggest that such dramatic movements occur due to hunting for krill, which likewise changes the location depending on the time of day.

Reproduction

There is still very little information about the reproduction of the giant fish. There is an assumption that a large-sized shark mates exclusively in the fall. Scientists suggest that this action occurs mainly in the warm waters of Hawaii and California, since it is there that most adult males meet most. This species of shark, like many others, is ovivorous. Fertilization, ripening and hatching of eggs occurs in the womb of the female.

Enemies of the Great Shark

The big-headed shark, whose photo can be seen in this article, is in the ocean because of its slowness of enemies. The first is stone perch. These fish, using the slowness of burrat, pull out pieces of meat from the soft body. Often gnaw through the shark holes. The second enemy is the sperm whale. He swallows a large-sized shark whole with his huge mouth. Then he easily digests in his gluttonous womb.

Interesting Facts

Scientists are of the opinion that previously the largescences were bottom-dwelling, so they remained unobserved. But for some reason these fish have risen in the middle of the water. Perhaps the reason for the climate change on the planet.

The World Fund for the Protection of Marine Animals brought large-sized sharks to the list of rare species and took them under their protection. But, nevertheless, it is known that recently one such shark was eaten by fishermen in the Philippines, and no administrative measures were taken to them.