Confirmed Megamouth Shark Sightings

There have been 273 confirmed occurrences of megamouth sharks around the world and we are investigating reports of additional individuals.

There is a small area in Taiwan where this species is frequently caught as bycatch in commercial drift nets. These localized frequent sightings are likely due to commercial fisheries targeting fish feeding off the same plankton the megamouths are. Research into this phenomenon is ongoing. Outside of this area, the megamouth shark has been knowingly encountered so few times that the scientific community has a list and extensive notes on each shark encountered. The megamouth shark has a rounded snout and a large mouth on its bulbous head, and its body tapers back to a moderate caudal (tail) fin with a heavier top lobe. Dark gray-brown on top and light gray to white below, they are thought to grow to 17 feet long, though possibly larger specimens have been spotted. Read more about the megamouth shark…

 

Megamouth confirmed sightings 1976-present
Note: Megamouths #36, 56, and 61 were captured in the China Sea and have not been attributed to any particular country. Additionally, #16 was caught at sea in the East Indian Ocean

The following sightings are listed by date:

 

This page was compiled and revised by Tyler Bowling, Sebrina Brooks, and Colin Connealy