Shark news - Megamouth shark caught off the coast of Japan

Following on from Tuesdays exciting news about the sighting of a goblin shark, a rare megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) has been caught off the coast of Japan. The specimen - which is only the 58th to have ever been found - was caught off the waters of Shizuoka last month and is currently on display at Marine Science Museum in Shizuoka.

Very little is known about these sharks but they are believed to be a filter feeding species which feeds primarily on krill. A single specimen was tagged and followed for 2 days and exhibited patterns of diel vertical migration (spending the daylight hours at depth and returning to shallower waters at night).

The megamouth shark is currently classified alongside white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) and mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) in the order Lamniformes (or mackerel sharks).

News source with pictures: http://www.wptv.com/news/local-news/water-cooler/rare-megamouth-shark-caught-in-waters-off-japan