AN underwater cameraman caught the heart-stopping moment he was almost EATEN by a giant whale.

The snapper got a little too close to the mysterious Bryde's whale - rarely seen by humans.

8 A photographer had a lucky escape when they were almost swallowed whole by a giant whale Credit: Exclusivepix Media

8 A second cameraman caught just how close the snapper was to his ocean-going subject Credit: Exclusivepix Media

8 The giant Bryde's whale was gathering up fish off the Pacific coast of Mexico Credit: Exclusivepix Media

8 And the plucky snapper was brave enough to stick around and catch a series of breathtaking shots despite the incoming jaws of the 17 metre mammal Credit: Exclusivepix Media

And as the 17 metre mammal opened its huge mouth to devour a shoal of fish, it almost gobbled up the photographer too.

The breathtaking pictures were taken off Mexico's Pacific Coast.

Many populations of the whale - pronounced "broo-dess" after a South African whaler - are believed to be near extinction.

Johan Bryde was a notorious Norwegian-South African whale hunter during the early 20th Century.

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They number around 100,000 worldwide.

Much of that population is believed to remain in the northern hemisphere.

Among the threats to their existence are collisions with boats and the whaling industry, led by Japan.

They can grow to a weight of nearly 40 tonnes.

On Friday, The Sun reported how drone footage had captured the moment a killer whale devoured a shark.

The rare moment was filmed by Slater Moore, who was whale-watching in Monterey Bay, California.

8 The Bryde's whale is one of the world's most secretive animals with experts knowing very little about their behaviour Credit: Exclusivepix Media

8 Yet the 40 tonne beasts remain threatened by whalers and collisions with boats Credit: Exclusivepix Media

8 The Bryde's whale is named after a notorious South African-Norwegian whaler from the early 20th Century Credit: Exclusivepix Media

8 It is so little known that many cannot pronounce its name correctly - "Broo-dess" Credit: Exclusivepix Media

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