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It's a science fiction novel come to life. A rare megamouth shark washed ashore in Albay, Philippines on Wednesday and left the locals in bewilderment.
The official name for the oddity is Megachasma Pelagios and it's typically fond of the deep-sea lifestyle, which is approximately 500 metres beneath the sea's surface. They enjoy scooping up plankton and jellyfish on the bottom of the ocean floor.
Photo credit: Shark Devocean Blog.
The Marine Wildelife Watch of the Philippines has coined the shark “toothless,” as a quip regarding the monster's receding gums and itty-bitty teeth.
Megamouth was transported to a bed of ice, where he'll remain for further observation.
The 15 foot behemoth is a rarity. According to a shark blog, this is only the 60th confirmed documentation of this wide-mouth, deep-sea shark. The last sighting was reported back in July 2014.
The first Megamouth shark was discovered off the coast of Hawaii on November 15th, 1976. It took about seven years before the unknown species was finally identified and named.
Photo credit: Megamouth Shark website.
Photo credit: Shark Devocean Blog.
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