An extremely rare 4.5-metre megamouth shark washed ashore last Wednesday on the shores of Barangay Marigondon in the Philippines

An extremely rare 4.5-metre megamouth shark washed ashore last Wednesday on the shores of Barangay Marigondon in the Philippines. Even though the elusive fish was dead, it gives scientists the chance to study a real specimen. There have only been 66 reported sightings of the shark, with only 60 of those confirmed. The species was only discovered in 1976. The megamouth can grow to a maximum length of 5.2 metres and live for 100 years. The deep-sea fish has been discovered in Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Regional Emergency Stranding Response Team (BFAR-RESRT) is investigating the cause of its death. Photo credit: BFAR