A rare megamouth shark was found dead near the shore in Brgy. Tiling, Cauayan, Negros Occidental, on Wednesday morning, Dec. 3.
Residents of Purok 3 discovered the shark floating near the shoreline.
The animal measured about nine feet long.
Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines identified the species as a megamouth shark, one of the world’s rarest deep-sea shark species.
According to the Save Our Seas Foundation, megamouths perform diel vertical migration, staying in shallower waters during the day and moving to deeper areas at night.
The group said megamouth sharks normally inhabit deeper waters and are seldom seen near coastlines.
The species feeds on krill, jellies, and other plankton, using gill rakers to filter prey from seawater.
Conservation groups say overfishing remains a possible threat to the species, even as confirmed captures remain extremely rare.
Local authorities and marine groups have yet to determine the cause of death of the shark found in Cauayan.*