Fishermen off the coast of japan pulled in a rare megamouth shark

Fishermen off the coast of Japan pulled in a rare megamouth shark recently, marking the 58th time in history one of its kind were caught or seen by man, Japanese news outlets reported.

Scientists performed an autopsy on the 1,500-pound female shark in front of onlookers at the Marine Science Museum in Shizuoka City. The shark was reportedly caught from a depth of about 2,600 feet. It's unclear precisely when it was nabbed, according to The Japan Daily Press.

The first megamouth was discovered in Hawaii in 1976, prompting scientists to create an entirely new family and genus of sharks. The megamouths are docile filter-feeders with wide, blubbery mouths.

Others megamouths — considered one of the rarest fish in the world — have been encountered in Japan, Taiwan,  California, Indonesia, Ecuador, Brazil, Senegal, South Africa, Austrailia and Mexico. It's known to inhabit the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.

According to a profile of the animal on the museum's website, "As with the two other filter-feeding sharks, the basking and whale sharks, this species is wide-ranging, However, the megamouth is considered to be less active and a poorer swimmer than the basking or whale sharks."

Researchers say, "The megamouth's maximum size is at least 17 feet long and primarily feeds on large quantities of krill. The sperm whale is its only known predator."

In 2009, fishermen in the Philippines accidentally caught and later ate a megamouth shark. The 13 feet and 1100 pound megamouth, died while struggling in the fishermen's net off Burias island in the central Philippines. It was then taken to nearby Donsol in Sorsogon province, where it was butchered and eaten.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. [via]

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