A rare megamouth shark was recently captured by a fishing vessel off the Japanese coastline, brought in from a depth of around 2,600 feet.
The incident marked just the 58th recorded time the unusual shark breed, named for its disproportionate mouth, has even been seen by humans, Fox News reported via the Japan Daily Press.
This particular specimen, which comes in at more than 13 feet long and weighs nearly 1,500 pounds, is now being displayed at the Marine Science Museum in Shizuoka City, WPTV reported. More than 1,500 people watched as researchers dissected the megamouth for further study before showcasing the animal at the museum.
Scientists had to name a new shark family and genus when the first megamouth was discovered in 1976. Despite their fearsome name, megamouth sharks are actually filter-feeders with blubbery jaws.
"As with the two other filter-feeding sharks, the basking and whale sharks, this species is wide-ranging," said a profile of the animal on the museum's website, as quoted by Fox News. "However, the megamouth is considered to be less active and a poorer swimmer than the basking or whale sharks."
The rare creatures have been spotted in California, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil, Ecuador, Senegal, South Africa, Mexico and Australia, Fox News reported.
Fisherman in the Philippines accidentally caught a megamouth shark in 2009 without realizing what they had found. The animal died in their net and was later sent to Sorsogon province to be butchered and eaten.
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