Megamouth sharks can live as deep as 15,000 feet above the surface of the ocean.
An extremely rare megamouth shark washes ashore near a coastal village in the Philippines. It was found by fishermen in the remote area of Gobat, Sorsogon, and photos are doing the rounds on social media.
The megamouth shark is rarely seen by humans, and can live up to 100 years.
The image of the deepwater fish was first posted on Facebook on June 11 by Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) spokesperson Noni Anolava, from where it was picked up by other publications and social media platforms.
newsweek Ms Enolva was quoted as saying that the shark could have been caught in a fishing net.
Megamouth sharks can live up to 15,000 feet below the surface of the ocean and spend most of their time in the dark.
It is one of the largest shark species, reaching 16 feet in length and weighing about 2,700 pounds. The length of one found dead near a village in the Philippines is 15 feet.
According to ForbesThe megamouth shark was first discovered in 1976 by a US Navy research vehicle operating in Hawaiian waters.
According to the Florida Museum, so far there have been only 269 confirmed cases of megamouth sharks worldwide. It further stated that this species is often caught as bycatch in commercial drift nets near Taiwan.
The megamouth shark has a rounded snout and a large mouth on its bulbous head and its body is tapered back to a medium caudal (tail) fin with a heavy top lobe.
Their skin color is dark brownish-brown above and light brown to white below.
Megamouth sharks are believed to be diurnal, following a swarm of krill from the surface of the open ocean during the day, and deep dive at night.
