Ultra-rare Megamouth shark caught in Japan

It's one of the most obscure animals on the planet, but its name speaks for itself.

A group of Japanese fishermen have caught an incredibly rare Megamouth shark off the coast of Japan from a depth of about 800m.

The bizarre creature has only been caught or even spotted by humans 58 times in history.

This is despite its size and remarkable appearance.

This Megamouth shark is 4m long and tips the scales at 680kg.

Furthermore, its giant mouth and comparatively skinny body makes it look more like the creature from Alien than anything you would see in your neighbourhood fish and chip shop.

But despite its fearsome appearance, it only eats plankton and is closely related to the more common whale shark.

Even though it is so rare, it has been sighted all over the world, with specimens hauled in in California, South Africa, Brazil, the Philippines and even Australia.

The Megamouth shark caught in Japan has been dissected at the Marine Science Museum in Shizuoka, west of Tokyo, and is now on display.