Current Events Lesson Plan: July 21-August 3, 2016
Current Event: Monster Monday: Megamouth Shark
The megamouth shark is a large shark that typically grows over 20 feet (4 meters) long and has 50 rows of teeth lining massive, all-swallowing jaws. But there is no reason to fear being swallowed whole by this monster of the deep. Megamouth sharks are filter feeders. They don’t attack large prey, but instead swim with their enormous mouths agape, sucking in shrimplike krill and other tiny organisms that make up ocean plankton. Remarkably, before 1976, no one even knew the megamouth shark existed. That year, a United States Navy ship off the north coast of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands hauled up a specimen after it became tangled in the rigging of the ship’s anchor. No one had ever seen or heard of such an odd shark before. It seems impossible that such an enormous creature could remain unknown to the modern world. But even today, despite its great size, the megamouth shark remains one of the world’s most rarely seen sharks. A second specimen was not seen until one was caught in 1984. Since then, however, megamouth sharks have been caught or sighted elsewhere in the Pacific, as well as in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, indicating it is a widespread species. Still, there have been fewer than 100 sightings or captured specimens since the shark was first discovered.
Objective:
Sharks are one of the most feared sea animals. All sharks are carnivores (meat-eaters). Most of them eat live fish, including other sharks. In fact, a shark’s most common natural enemy is a larger shark. Sharks have the reputation of attacking human beings. But fewer than 80 shark attacks a year are reported throughout the world, and most shark attacks do not result in death or serious injury. Sharks vary greatly in size. Whale sharks are the largest kind of shark and the largest of all fish. They may grow up to 40 feet (12 meters) long. Whale sharks may weigh over 15 tons (14 metric tons), more than twice as much as an average African elephant. The smallest sharks may measure about 6 inches (16 centimeters) long and weigh about 1 ounce (28 grams). The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore sharks and other animals.
Words to know:
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students to name sharks other than the megamouth shark. (Students might name the basking shark, great white shark, hammerhead shark, mako shark, nurse shark, tiger shark, whale shark.)
2. The United States and other countries protect certain sharks for fear that some species would become extinct. Have your students debate, “Because sharks sometimes attack and kill people, they should not be protected.”
3. Ask your students which animal they think is the most dangerous to humans. (The world’s deadliest animal, by a landslide, is the mosquito, which transmits malaria and other diseases. Some people estimate that mosquitoes kill from 1 to 3 million people each year, mainly in Africa and Asia.)