Extremely rare megamouth shark from ocean depths washes up on beach in the Philippines

An extremely rare megamouth shark was found washed up from the ocean depths in
a Philippines coastal village.

The deepwater shark was discovered dead by local fisherfolk in a remote area
of Gubat, in Sorsogon on June 11, Philippines news outlet Rappler reported.

Officials from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) do not yet
know the cause of death. However, BFAR spokesperson Nonie Enolva told Rappler
that she suspects it may have become tangled in a fishing net.

Photographs posted to Facebook by Enolva show the shark lying dead in the
shallows.

The megamouth shark is very rarely sighted by humans, and can live up to 100
years. They can live as far as 15,000 feet below the surface of the ocean,
spending most of their lives in the dark.

Although rarely seen, they are thought to be one of the largest shark species,
third only to the whale shark and basking shark. On average they weigh about
2,700 pounds and grow up to 16 feet.

This megamouth shark measured about 15 feet, Enolva told Rappler.

"We want to know and verify the cause of death of the megamouth shark. We want
to preserve it either through taxidermy or submerge it through preservation
solutions," she told Rappler.

According to the Florida Museum, there have been 269 confirmed sightings of
megamouth sharks across the world since the species was first discovered in
1976.

Most sightings occur in Taiwan, where the species is sometimes caught as
bycatch after becoming tangled in fishing nets. The Philippines has the second
most recorded sightings globally.

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