Extremely Rare 6.3-Metre Shark Caught Off The Australian Coast After 80 Years

It’s never nice to see fish accidentally caught in nets, but this unfortunate catch turned out to be a rare form of giant basking shark. Snared in seas near Portland, in southwestern Australia, the shark was a whopping 6.3 metres long.

The last recorded capture of this species as in the 1930s at Lakes Entrance in the state of Victoria – which shows just how rare this underwater beast is. Museum Victoria also told press that it was only the third time a shark like this had been seen in the region in 160 years.

The second biggest fish species after the whale shark, check out just how large this fella is.

These plankton-loving sharks have long been under threat due to the shark fin trade, but researchers are excited about what they can learn from this latest specimen. With teeth that make them “un-shark-like” in appearance, hopefully this poor shark can improve our understanding of a rare species. While this shark is sadly no longer with us, these two guys went swimming and bumped into a very alive Great White Shark. Cue panic.