'Toothless' monster from the deep

Fishermen have discovered a rare megamouth shark trapped in a net at a beach in the Philippines.

The massive 15-foot adult male shark was dead when it was found beached on the Barangay Marigondon shores in between the Albay and Masbate provinces.

The extraordinary shark has been named toothless by locals but interestingly has an abundance of teeth, which are lined in about 50 rows.

With only 64 previous sightings of this type of shark ever recorded, it is thought scientists will be able to get a close-up look at the the creatures like never before.

The shark's cause of death has yet to be determined but it is thought it's body will likely go on display at Albay Parks and Wildlife Centre in the Philippines.

The megamouth shark trolls the seabed for small bits of food, catching them with their massive mouths and capturing them in their jaws. Up until now, scientists have had limited information regarding the sharks, as they are very rarely seen by humans.

Speaking to The Washington Post, Christopher Bird, a Ph.D. student who studies deep-sea sharks at the University of Southampton in England, said we know so little about the sharks.

'It wasn't discovered really until 1976. It's only really seen when it's accidentally caught in fishermen's nets or when it is stranded on beaches.'

'It's just a mystery', he said.

The sharks have only ever been sighted when they come to the surface in the search for food.

A megamouth shark can reach to a maximum length of 17 feet (5.2 metres) with a life span of 100 years.

 It resides in deep waters but rises towards the surface at night to feed or eat plankton.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Albay province will investigate to determine the cause of the shark's death.

(dailymail.co.uk)

ANN.Az