An extremely rare shark has been caught by fishermen in Japan.

The aptly named Megamouth shark swims with its massive mouth open to catch plankton and other food.

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It was caught in fishing nets five kilometres from Owase Port in Mie Prefecture and was around five metres in length.

It weighed around a ton and was bought by a Japanese fish monger.

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Megamouth sharks have been reported to swim between depths of 120 and 160 metres under water during the day, ascending to between 12 and 25 metres during the night.