Why is this animal unusual?
Like the whale shark and the basking shark, it’s a gentle giant that filters tiny animals from the water. It swims slowly with its vast mouth open and swallows whatever drifts in.
Why does it look like that?
A huge rounded head, rubbery lips, a soft flabby body and rows of tiny hooked teeth it doesn’t really need.
Strangest biological feature
The mouth – about 4 ft 3 in (1.3 metres) across.
Why is it strange?
It follows its food up and down. By day it stays in deeper water, and at night it rises to within a few metres of the surface, tracking the daily movement of krill.
Interesting behavioral facts
Almost everything else about its life is unknown. A pregnant female was examined for the first time only in 2023.
Records held
Its discovery in 1976 is considered one of the greatest shark finds of the 20th century.
