A British diver was recently able to capture the footage of a rare megamouth shark species near Komodo Island in Indonesia.
British diver Penny Bielich’s encounter with the shark happened while he was exploring the diving spot in Gili Lawa of Komodo Island, Indonesia.
Samata Luxury Liveabroad (@samataluxury) then uploaded the video on Youtube.
“Yesterday, our guest Penny Bielich was lucky enough to capture this footage of one of the rarest animals in the world!,” the caption read.
“The Megamouth Shark, with only 63 sightings in history, was captured at ‘Shotgun’ dive site in Komodo National Park!”
The first sighting of megamouth shark was reported in Oahu in 1976. Since then, only 63 sightings of the creature have been reported in the last 41 years.
A megamouth shark typically swims 1,500 meters below the surface of the ocean. It can grow about 13 and 18 metres in length and is characterized by a huge head and mouth. It is the smallest of the three extant filter-feeding sharks, alongside the basking shark and whale shark. They are found in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.
“It is known from only 102 specimens (as of August 2015), and therefore appears to be very rarely encountered throughout its range, yet likely to be increasingly taken as bycatch in oceanic and offshore fisheries,” according to IUCN.
“Further research on its ecology and habitat use is required to better understand this species and the potential effects of fishing.”
Recently a 40-tonne adult humpback whale was also filmed by a diver and underwater cameraman in the Indian Ocean, and according to the person, the whale was literally jumping out of the water.
That diver, along with his colleagues, was hunting for sardines off the south-eastern coast of South Africa when he spotted the big creature.
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