Rare Megamouth Shark Found on S.African Beach

Reuters Via YaHoo ^ | 4/22/02

[NormsRevenge]

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A rarely seen megamouth shark, unknown to science before 1976, has washed up on a South African beach, scientists said Monday.

Photos Reuters Photo

"We are very excited because it is only the third female to be discovered to date and we know almost nothing about its biology, so we are keen to dissect and study it," Dr. Vic Cockcroft of the Center for Dolphin Studies told Reuters.

The 3.5 meter (12-foot), 300-kg (660 pound) female is the first megamouth to be discovered in southern Africa. It washed up on a beach Saturday morning about 400 kilometers (249 miles) east of Cape Town.

"They are rarely seen because they are usually far offshore feeding on plankton. We are unsure about their numbers... We have no information on how many there are," Cockcroft said.

Only about a dozen specimens, mostly males, have been found since the animal was discovered when a U.S. navy (news - web sites) experimental trawler caught one off Hawaii in 1976, Cockcroft said.

The creature has also been found near California, Japan, the Philippines, Senegal, Indonesia and western Australia.

As its name suggests, the creature has a massive mouth but is harmless to humans as it is a plankton eater.

[NormsRevenge]

As its name suggests, the creature has a massive mouth but is harmless to humans as it is a plankton eater. Sounds like Al GoRe to me ...

[Maceman]

Sounds like Al GoRe to me ...

Given Gore's dangerous environmental ideas, I don't agree that he is harmless to humans.

[grobdriver]

Sounds like Al GoRe to me

Unless he gets elected - then he'll be very dangerous indeed!

[Dinsdale]

Has Rosie O'Donut gone missing?

[mad puppy]

Just think how different life would be if some "washing up" had taken place after a certain female "mega-mouth" was finished conversing with our previous president. My suggested name for this recent find should be obvious.

[Paul Atreides]

The Hillarus Clintonius species.

[Cinnamon Girl]

There is one of these on display at the Natural History Museum in LA. It is so freaky looking it's hard to believe it's real. Imagine seeing that swim by from your sub window?