A rare large-mouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) has been found for the first time in East Africa, and it is being sold in traditional markets in Tanzania as a table delicacy.
The Conversation, a U.S. nonprofit media outlet, reports that the catch is the sixth off the coast of Africa of the large-mouth shark, a species of shark found around the world that gets its name from its large mouth. Shaped like a tadpole with a large head and elongated body, it has a mouth that occupies half of its head.
The first largemouth shark was seen in Hawaii in 1976, when a largemouth shark became entangled in the anchor chain of a Navy ship. Since then, fewer than 280 largemouth sharks have been notified worldwide. Biologists know very little about this species.
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Official records show that the maximum length of a largemouth shark can be up to 7 meters, which is slightly greater than that of a great white shark (up to 6.4 meters). However, most of the largemouth sharks recorded to date are less than 5.5 meters long.
Some may confuse the largemouth shark with the megalodon, a large prehistoric shark species that is said to be much larger than any other shark. But the largemouth shark is a gentle giant without large, sharp teeth. It cruises quietly, similar to the whale shark, a filter feeder that feeds on plankton, and is the smallest of only three filter feeding sharks in the world.
The rarity of the largemouth shark proves that it may be a non-swarming animal.
The current catch of the largemouth shark was located in Tanzanian waters of Zanzibar, and was landed on a beach on Pemba Island after being caught by a fishing boat. The shark was sold for about 43,000 Tanzanian shillings (about RM80).
There have been several previous sightings of largemouth sharks in Africa between 1995 and 2020, one each in South Africa, Gabon, Libya, Senegal and Mauritania.
