Rare, giant basking shark caught off Australian coast

 

A rare 6.3-meter-long basking shark was accidentally caught by a trawler in seas near Portland, in southwestern Australia.The last recorded capture of the species was in the 1930s at Lakes Entrance in the state of Victoria,

The last recorded capture of the species was in the 1930s at Lakes Entrance in the state of Victoria, 

Museum Victoria said in a statement it was only the third time a shark like this has been seen in the region in more than 160 years.

As the second biggest fish species in the world after the whale shark, the basking shark got its name for its gentle, slow-moving nature and preference for warmer waters. Adults can grow to be 12 meters long.

 

Scientists say the placid plankton feeders have "thin and week jaws lined with tiny (2-mm-long) teeth," which make them rather "un-shark-like."