The Megamouth Shark's Diet
Not much is known about the megamouth shark or its diet because it lives in the deep sea and is less mobile than most species. There have only been 47 sightings of megamouth sharks that have been confirmed. Scientists have speculated the shark to be a filter feeder, like the basking and whale sharks, with a preference of copepods, pancake jellyfish and euphasiid shrimp.
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Euphasiid Shrimp
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Euphasiid shrimp are a crustacean also more commonly known as krill. These little animals have previously been found in the stomach contents of the megamouth shark. Because of their protein content, they make a nutritious meal for the megamouth shark, as well as many other sea creatures. Krill have 10 legs and two antennae, and appear orange on the top and green underneath. Euphasiid shrimp are only about 2 inches long, but they travel in huge swarms.
Copepods
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Copepods are a subclass of water crustaceans. The name "copepod" comes from the words for "oar foot," referencing their tails that span out on the end like a foot. They can use this tail like a sort of paddle. There are many varieties of copepods that all differ in their appearance, habitat and behavior. Although there are around 12,000 species of copepods, most are between 1 and 2 mm long and live less than a year.
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Pancake Jellyfish
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At only 3 to 5 cm in size, pancake jellyfish, or Atolla vanhoeffeni, have a rather unique appearance. They look fairly flat, hence the name, and are brightly colored with purples and reds. They live only in the deep sea, and tend to feed on bioluminescent zooplankton, which glow through the jellyfishes' opaque stomachs. This makes pancake jellyfish easy targets for the megamouth shark.
The Specialized Mouth
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As one would expect, the megamouth shark processes a very large mouth, which extends past the shark's eyes. Although the shark has nearly 50 rows of tiny teeth in both jaws, only three of the rows are operative. Experts hypothesize that the shark feeds by opening its huge mouth, extending its jaw and expanding its cheek cavity to use suction to pull in food. The shark then retracts its jaws and closes its mouth, causing the water to squeeze out through the gills.
The Gills
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When the megamouth shark expels the water from its mouth and through its gills, the little organisms stay in its mouth. This occurs because inside of the shark's gills are rows of small rakers which act as a filter. These rakers have cartilage cores and effectively strain the food from the seawater. Without them, all of the prey would be forced out with the water due to their little size in comparison to the gills.
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References
- Photo Credit shrimp image by pearlguy from Fotolia.com
