Low Body Density Allows Megamouth Sharks to Hover With Minimal Effort

A one-ton shark can drift almost neutrally buoyant in open water.

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Unlike bony fish, sharks lack swim bladders and rely on liver oils and body composition for buoyancy control.

The combination of a cartilage skeleton and oil-rich liver lowers overall body density, allowing megamouth sharks to maintain near-neutral buoyancy. This reduces the need for constant swimming to stay suspended.

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For a five-meter fish, hovering without intense muscular effort conserves enormous amounts of energy. Instead of fighting gravity continuously, it floats within the water column like a massive, living airship.

This buoyancy optimization supports a feeding strategy dependent on slow cruising through plankton layers, reinforcing how internal chemistry can substitute for speed in sustaining deep-sea gigantism.

Source

Florida Museum of Natural History

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