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World’s Rarest Deepwater Shark Swims with Diver off Komodo Island, Indonesia [Video]

World’s Rarest Deepwater Shark Swims with Diver off Komodo Island, Indonesia [Video]
RT | Rare Megamouth Shark

A pair of divers , Penny Beilich and Heikki Innanen, on Indonesia's Komodo Island had a once-in-a-lifetime encounter this week when they crossed paths with a rarely seen megamouth shark. 

The diver was exploring the northernmost string of the islands known as Gili Lawa Laut, a popular diving spot for tourists when the shark happened to swim by.

Video shows a clear image of the shark gently gliding through the water. It's characteristic head and mouth get within close proximity of the diver before it turns and swims away.

"The [shark] seemed in good health, and a little bit interested to see us down there," Innanen said to Earth Touch. "It adjusted its course to straight at us and then passed around three meters away. We were only in water about eight metres deep at the time."

According to National Geographic, The Florida Museum of Natural History keeps an official list of megamouth shark sightings dating back to its discovery in 1976. In the past 41 years, just over 60 sightings have been confirmed. The big fish are believed to grow roughly 17 feet (5 metres) long.

The bizarre sharks were first discovered in 1976 and were considered so strange at the time that scientists categorised them in a brand new genus and family.

First sighting of megamouth shark. Image: Department of Land and Natural Resources Hawaii
First sighting of megamouth shark. Image: Department of Land and Natural Resources Hawaii

 

While the species is mysterious, megamouth sharks present little threat to people. Despite their impressive size, megamouth sharks (Megachasma pelagios) feed on some of the ocean's smallest inhabitants. 

They swim with their huge mouths open to feed, filtering their meals through the inner lining of their gills. Its chief prey is shrimp-like krill, jellies, and other plankton.

"The biology of the megamouth is almost unknown," says Dr Kazuhiro Nakaya, a professor emeritus at Hokkaido University who has done extensive work on megamouth sharks. "I can't say this is normal or not. However, it swims strongly and beautifully, and I feel this is their normal behavior. So beautiful and impressive."

Incredible footage has captured the moment that a British diver encountered one of the ocean's most elusive creatures, the megamouth shark. Image:
Incredible footage has captured the moment that a British diver encountered one of the ocean's most elusive creatures, the megamouth shark. Image: Heikki Innanen

Dr Dave Ebert, who also studies these creatures confirms that it appears healthy. "It looks like it is swimming just fine to me," he says. "An amazing sighting!"

According to Earth Touch, the clip is among the first natural swimming scenes ever captured of a megamouth at sea - the first without nets in vicinity. 

Megamouth sharks have been spotted primarily near Japan and Taiwan, but sightings have occurred in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. 

 

Indah Gilang Pusparani

Indah is a researcher at Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Penelitian dan Pengembangan Daerah Kota Cirebon (Regional Development Planning and Research Agency of Cirebon Municipality). She covers More international relations, tourism, and startups in Southeast Asia region and beyond. Indah graduated from MSc Development Administration and Planning from University College London, United Kingdom in 2015. She finished bachelor degree from International Relations from University of Indonesia in 2014, with two exchange programs in Political Science at National University of Singapore and New Media in Journalism at Ball State University, USA. She was awarded Diplomacy Award at Harvard World Model United Nations and named as Indonesian Gifted Researcher by Australian National University. She is Researcher at Regional Planning Board in Cirebon, West Java. She previously worked as Editor in Bening Communication, the Commonwealth Parliament Association UK, and diplomacy consulting firm Best Delegate LLC in USA. Less
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