Meet Megachasmidae
AKA the rare Megamouth Shark, elusive, super deep water roamer who just opens wide and swallows you up, but if he needs them, he's got FIFTY rows of razor sharp little teeth to use on you, too. They can reportedly grow to 18 feet in length. Sit on that number for just a minute. EIGHT-TEEN. And he glows in the dark.
I had never heard of this particular animal until today, but as soon as I saw the picture I snapped to attention. This is the thing in all my nightmares in open water that appears through the murky, muddy light that seems to appear out of nowhere from the bottom of the lake or ocean or whatever black body of water I find myself adrift in. This thing with dead eyes (side note: I think this is why I hate sunglasses. . . ) comes out of nowhere to consume me.
(To be fair, every encounter with the giant describes them as "gentle" -- they feed on plankton and only about 50 of them have ever been sighted. By people awake and in reality. I've probably got 50 under my belt alone if asleep counted. Sorry, big dude, but for me you're as nightmarish as they come.)
It wasn't "discovered" until 1976, but I remember seeing this thing in nightmares from a very young age.
And now it has a name.
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