Scary Shark Trivia Quiz – After Bites

Think you’re brave enough to face the ocean’s creepiest creatures? Our Scary Shark Trivia quiz will test your knowledge of the spookiest sharks in the sea. From the ancient frilled shark to the nightmare jaws of the goblin and the legendary megalodon, these sharks are straight out of a horror story. See how many you can get right… if you dare.

Take the quiz. Show off your spooky shark smarts. Then explore more of our other shark and ray quizzes to test your shark trivia knowledge.

113

Spooky Sharks

1 / 30

How many confirmed megamouth specimens have been recorded worldwide as of 2025?

About 50

About 200

About 300

Over 1000

2 / 30

How many goblin shark specimens have been recorded by scientists worldwide?

Fewer than 50

About 200

Around 1,000

More than 5,000

3 / 30

True or false… Ghost sharks are not actually sharks.

True

False

4 / 30

What does a Megalodon mainly eat?

Dolphins

Sea Turtles

Other Sharks

Whales

5 / 30

What unique mechanism allows the cookiecutter shark to create its distinctive round wounds?

Suction created by its fleshy lips and retracting tongue.

A venomous bite combined with a rotating jaw.

A powerful tail that stuns prey.

Its ability to regrow teeth instantly while feeding.

6 / 30

Where was the first megamouth shark found?

Off the coast of Japan by a fishing vessel

In Hawaii, by a U.S. Navy ship

In the Philippines by a trawler

Off California caught in a net

7 / 30

What features give the Frilled Shark its name?

Frill-like gill slits as well as their fins.

Frill like arrangement of their 300 teeth and their cheery smile.

The fierce frilled fans they use to perform in deep sea drag shows.

The frill-shape arrangement of their teeth as well as their frill-like gill slits.

8 / 30

How tall can a Megalodon’s mouth open?

4 feet

6 feet

10 feet

12 feet

9 / 30

Which description has been used to capture the megamouth’s slow swimming style?

“A rocket with fins”

“A sock puppet with fins”

“A submarine with teeth”

“A floating barrel”

10 / 30

What scientific term is used to describe the cookiecutter shark's mixed feeding strategy, which includes both parasitic bites and traditional hunting?

Opportunistic predator.

Mesopelagic hunter.

Omnivorous scavenger.

Adaptive ectoparasite.

11 / 30

What unusual feature might the inside of a megamouth’s lips have?

Electric sensors

Poison glands

Bioluminescent or light-reflecting tissue

Extra rows of teeth

12 / 30

What unique feature makes the goblin shark’s jaws so unusual?

They glow in the dark

They can shoot forward like a slingshot

They are covered in razor sharp cartilage plates

They can grind apart their victims

13 / 30

How do megamouths spend their day and night?

Resting in caves during the day, hunting at night

Swimming in the mid-water column in very cold waters

Diving deep during the day and rising at night to feed

In the marinas trench only surfacing when ill

14 / 30

Which of these is NOT a known victim of cookiecutter shark attacks?

Swordfish.

Oceanographic equipment.

Sea lions.

Coral reefs.

15 / 30

How high can a Megalodon jump from the water?

They can't

10 feet

20 feet

30 feet

16 / 30

How do cookiecutter sharks typically avoid predators while migrating to shallow waters to feed?

By diving deep at the first sign of danger.

Using their bioluminescence to blend in with the light from above (counter-illumination).

Hiding in schools of fish to confuse predators.

Producing a toxic substance from their skin as a deterrent.

17 / 30

What is the Ghost shark’s nickname?

Steve.

Casper.

Druid.

Chimera.

18 / 30

How strong is the Megalodon’s bite?

5000 lbs

10,000 lbs

20,000 lbs

40,000 lbs

19 / 30

True or false… Ghost sharks are often bycatch.

True

False

20 / 30

At what depth are goblin sharks most often found?

50–100 meters

200–500 meters

1,000–1,200 meters

3,000–4,000 meters

21 / 30

What is an important reason this study was carried out?

Researchers wanted to know more about possible evolutionary paths of the shark.

It was time to declutter the lab and throw away the embryos from the 1980s so they figured why not.

Researchers were very interested in studying their eyes for possible biomimicry technology.

The frilled shark is a deep sea shark and we need more information to know how to keep them alive in aquariums.

22 / 30

When was the cookiecutter shark first discovered, and where did this happen?

1700s off the coast of Hawaii by British explorers.

1817–1820 off Brazil by French naturalists Quoy and Gaimard.

1900s in the Gulf of Mexico by American oceanographers.

1960s near the Great Barrier Reef by Australian researchers.

23 / 30

What species hunted the megalodon?

An even bigger prehistoric megalith shark

The prehistoric version of the giant squid

The prehistoric version of the sperm whale

The prehistoric version of the orca

24 / 30

About how big can a megamouth shark grow?

10 feet

15 feet

20 feet

30 feet

25 / 30

Where are Ghost sharks most commonly found?

The deep sea.

The shallows.

Near shore.

Open ocean.

26 / 30

What is the goblin shark’s scientific name?

Megachasma pelagios

Carcharodon carcharias

Mitsukurina owstoni

Chlamydoselachus anguineus

27 / 30

How are Frilled Shark pups born?

As egg sacks.

Live birth.

Cellular mitosis.

Scientists do not know!

28 / 30

How many species of Ghost sharks have been found so far?

3

20

50

8

29 / 30

Goblin sharks are sometimes called a “living fossil.” Why?

Their body has not changed much in over 100 million years

They are the oldest known shark species still alive

Their skeletons turn to stone when they die

They live in areas where fossils are common

30 / 30

How deep do scientists believe Frilled Sharks can be found?

15 ft/4.57 m

4,900 ft/1,500 m

38,876 ft/11,849.4 m

Unknown

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Every month, Shark Angels features a shark species in focus so that you can build your shark knowledge. We work with our team of interns – all of whom are soon to be shark scientists – to create three educational pieces. From hammerheads to tigers and lanterns to great whites, we examine the well-known, the weird, and the coolest sharks. For each shark, you’ll find a detailed overview (Monthly Chomp), a research study, and also a shark trivia quiz (After Bites) like this Megalodon trivia quiz.

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As a shark charity, part of our missive is to educate the public. Each month we focus on a new shark species (or in this case – a species that eats sharks!), with an overview, cool facts that you didn’t know, where to see them in their own habitat, and an easily understandable summary of current research on the species. Plus, you’ll get ways to take action for shark conservation and help this species thrive! Check out the shark species full list here.

Science = better shark smarts

Then if you want to learn more about what these shark (and killer whale) scientists discovered while out in the field, visit the Shark Science section to read the full articles. Some of the issues are plastics, migration patterns, breaching, weather and climate change or just weird and cool characteristics of sharks. Then you’ll ace the shark trivia quiz.