Rare megamouth shark found dead in Pio Duran, Philippines

January 31, 2015

A was found dead in the Philippines on Wednesday. There have been only fifteen confirmed sightings in the nation and around 60 worldwide. The fifteen-foot male was found after reportedly becoming entangled with a fishing net near the Barangay Marigondon neighborhood of, province. Its body was encased with ice pending a necropsy. The cause of death was not immediately clear.

Locals have nicknamed the dead shark 'toothless', a  movie reference. In truth megamouths can have up to fifty rows of teeth.

Megamouths reach up to eighteen feet. Their name refers to its large head and mouth, used to filter and other small food from the ocean. Occasionally the prey of other sharks and whales, megamouths are thought to live in the around Taiwan, the Philippines, and Japan based on previous sightings. Its true range and population size are however unknown. The first such shark identified was accidentally discovered by the off the coast of Hawaii when it became stuck in a ship's anchor. Researchers theorise a white strip on the shark's head to attract prey.