First there was Jaws; then the sequel, Jaws II:Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water. Then there was Jaws III : 3D and the final movie in the series, Jaws IV: The Revenge. Imagine if there was another movie, might it be named "Jaws V: Gums - the Latter Years"?
I had previously posted about the discovery of a prehistoric frilled shark off the coast of Japan in January this year. That post may be found here for more detailed information. Just recently, I came across a video of the animal and it remains, for me, eerie and yet fascinating. Here it is.
Feeling generous, you will now get a chance to see a second rare, deep sea creature in this one post. This one is called the Megamouth Shark. Wikipedia says, "
The megamouth shark, Megachasma pelagios, is an extremely rare and unusual species of deepwater shark. Discovered in 1976, only a few have ever been seen, with 39 specimens known to have been caught or sighted as of 2007 and three recordings on film. Like the basking shark and whale shark, it is a filter feeder, and swims with its enormous mouth wide open, filtering water for plankton and jellyfish. It is distinctive for its large head with rubbery lips. It is so unlike any other type of shark that it is classified in its own family Megachasmidae, though it has been suggested that it may belong in the family Cetorhinidae of which the basking shark is currently the sole member."
Megamouths grow up to 5.5 metres in length and have a characteristic large and soft head and mouth.
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What sooths me
5 weeks ago
26 comments:
That is freaky.
I was going to say that!!!
lol
Freaky indeed....Hope there's none of them swimming around here.
Peace
Prefer my shark grilled ... I will never ever dive in one of these oceans! Some swimming near the coast in the Mediterranean sea is enough for all time.
Ok I'll just admire them there sharks from a great great distance... like on a video. I'm much more comfortable in the company of squirrels ;)
Sharks are scary, I use to have nightmares about them as a child!
I'm sure there are many more unknown species down there. Instead of exploring space, maybe we should concentrate on what is below. I wished I had the guts to go deep water exploring. I find it fascinating.
I haven't watched your videos yet, but your blog made me think of really interesting deep sea finds close off the east coast of Canada, just recently.
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/07/30/gully-creatures.html
Its amazing what the seas hold :)
Now to watch the videos :)O
LGS, that's amazing. And look at him checking out that diver. "Hmmmm, is that thing edible? That's one brave diver to hang around long enough for the shark to find out.
There are indeed some very strange things swimming around in the deep ocean, and I don't think we have discovered all of them yet.
Wow! That's amazing! I wonder what else is living in the deep...
diesel,
I think, we are in agreement.
odat,
No need to fight, plenty of room in the "freaked-out club!
mago,
clever. Please do not stop diving because these few "freaky" pictures. There's a lot of good things to see too, so I'm told. ;)
janice,
That's such a nice thing to say. thanks.
squirrel,
Nightmares as a child? Did you watch all the Jaws movies? Is that the reason? My childhood nightmares were definately caused by my sneaking into the cinema (I was under-age) and watching "The Exorcist".
ruth,
Congrats! You are the first one to leave a comment that even wanted to explore even more after seeing the videos.
msw,
both are fascinating! Your's are cuter though!
josie,
next time, I'll try to focus on the rare but cute things instead of the rare and creepy! :)
sincerity,
thanks for dropping in and leaving a comment. When I saw your little picture of a beautiful cat, I couldn't help thinking if kitty was "sincere" about wanting to know what else lived in the deep or just hungry!!! Lol.
Maybe the animal was in better condition before they moved it out of it's natural habitat. The film was obviously taken from the pool they put it in, how much plankton did they put in with it?
All i can say LGS is that you have more to fear from crows than you did that creature when it was alive.
Peace and maybe we should quit messing with things that are so foreign to our sensibilities or did they want it to die so they could taste it?
TWM
yeah sharks freak me out...scary bizarre for sure. fun post tho.
hi LGS, i was on my way here when you posted on my blog. you have the most amazingly awesome information here. those videos are really fascinating, but i definitely wouldn't want to be down there with them.
TWM,
Thanks for the comment. You are absolutely right that when we can we should leave the wild animals alone. The frilled shark is seldom seen because it is actually a deep sea creature. The fact that it was seen close to shore already suggested that the animal was diseased or injured as it would not normally be found is such shallow water. Like most deep sea creatures, it was not expected to live long at this shallow depth.
PS Savant,
Thanks. Hope you've been well. Haven't seen you around for awhile.
Heiresschild,
They look scary but probably are harmless. Happy birthday.
How incredibly cool! Thanks for sharing him/her. What a wonderful world we live in!
I first read Jaws (the first one) in about 1973. I was in a completely landlocked state in the US, with no ocean for many, many miles. I was STILL terrified.
I wonder if that shark "filters out" the occasional scuba diver...
So does this mark the beginning or the end of "Shark week" on Realm of the Lone Grey Squirrel?
(here in the U.S. the "Discovery channel" does a "Shark week" special every year)
I'm indifferent when it comes to sharks. Not my favorite creature, but I don't dislike them either.
-P
It looks like that shark would be chummy with the manatees that live in Florida. Ugly, but sweet :-D
What an amazing beast.
Reminds me of one of my previous bosses.
I've been watching Shark Week on Discovery Channel all week and I'm already too scared to go swimming as it is.
Now this!
claudia,
exactly. Wierd but wonderful.
leslie,
Haha. If I met these guys, I'd probably scream, drop my mouth piece and end up at the bottom of the ocean.
proxima,
No. There's no Shark Week here. Just the one off post. I don't think I'd ever post a whole week on one topic. Hmmm. On the other hand, that's an idea to ponder.
tsduff,
I know what you mean but I think manatees are plain ugly and these guys are horrible ugly. A fine distinction, I know.
dan,
Yeah, I had a boss like that too.
thethinker,
Conquer your fear. Pick an ocean and swim in it. Stop thinking so much and "Just Do It". :)
I remember that orginal post, and thinking the shark was beautiful then. I still do. It would no doubt scare me if I were face-to-face, but I'm thankful there is still mysery in the ocean and amazing creatures yet to be discovered. Thanks for scouting out those videos.
I am trying very hard to not think about sharks on vacation. Ya know?
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