In 40 Years Since Discovery, Fewer Than 300 Individuals Have Been Scientifically Recorded

The megamouth shark was first described scientifically in 1983, seven years after its initial capture.

Spread across nearly five decades, that total equates to only a few recorded individuals per year globally. Entire nations have never reported a single confirmed specimen despite vast coastlines.

The statistical scarcity reinforces how incomplete marine population data remain, especially for deep-sea giants whose life cycles unfold largely beyond commercial fishing zones.