The first megamouth shark appearance was on Nov. 16, 1976. Since then, there have been fewer than 70 sightings.
Earlier this week, a 15-foot megamouth was found along the shores of the Philippines. Although the male megamouth was dead, it creates an opportunity for scientists to study, observe and learn more about the species.
Namely, that they’re crazy looking.
Megamouth #shark washes up in #Philippines and is only the 60th we’ve ever seen. What we know: http://t.co/0J5aX6IH7o pic.twitter.com/o8Xz1WdmCa
— Christopher Bird (@SharkDevocean) January 28, 2015
Many previous encounters of the creature have been near but not limited to Taiwan, Japan or the Philippines. The first one ever was found in Hawaii.
Nicknamed ‘Toothless,‘ the shark is currently being preserved on ice until the cause of death can be determined.
The video below shows the a megamouth shark found in Japan last year being dissected. It’s pretty gross!
