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The first ever record of a pregnant megamouth shark has been documented after a dead female person wash up on the shores of the Philippines .
The 18 - pes - longsighted ( 5.5 meters ) megamouth shark ( Megachasma pelagios ) , which was ascertain on Nov. 14 in Barangay Ipil , Dipaculao , Aurora state , was meaning with seven puppy when she wash up . According toNew Scientist , the mother showed no signs of injury from fishing geared wheel and scientists believe the whelp had been kick out from the female parent ’s consistency on the shore .
Six of the megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) pups being examined by researchers from the National Museum of the Philippines.
Representatives from the National Museum of the Philippines , who announced the discovery in aFacebook position , said the female parent ’s dead body was taken for a necropsy by the Philippines ' Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources , along with one of the pups .
The other six juveniles were taken to the National Museum of the Philippines to be study . After being hit the books , the creature will be preserve and kept at the museum .
The find has confirm that these shark give nascence to their materialisation live , rather than laying egg . Until now , researchers were incertain whether megamouth sharks were ovoviviparous — meaning that eggs develop within the female parent ’s organic structure and are birthed live .
A megamouth shark off the coast of California.
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Megamouth sharks were only discovered by scientists in 1976 , when one was accidentally bewitch after getting entangled in deep naval equipment near Hawaii .
This species has only been observe in the wild a few times , and fewer than 60 individual have ever been show , according to the sea preservation organizationOceana .
Megamouth sharks weigh up to 2,700 pounds ( 1,225 kilograms ) and are constitute after their big , circular mouths . The mouth of a 16 - foot ( 5 m ) megamouth shark is around 4 feet ( 1.2 m ) wide .
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Megamouth sharks spend most of their lives in the nighttime , living as deep as 15,000 feet ( 4,600 m ) below the surface and only total up to shallower piss at night .
They are filter tributary and drown with their mouths wide open to get tiny maritime crustacean called krill . The mouth of megamouth shark contain light - grow organs that help to attract their prey .
Researchers hope this latest discovery of an individual will assist them learn more about the problematical specie .
