An extremely rare megamouth shark was caught by fishermen.
The deepwater shark is considered a gentle giant of the sea with no large, sharp teeth.
Its huge mouth takes up half the size of its head, hence its name.
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The megamouth shark is often confused with the prehistoric megalodon species that is said to be bigger than any other shark.
The megamouth was first discovered in Hawaii in 1976 when one became tangled in a navy vessel’s anchor chain.
Since then, there have been fewer than 280 recorded sightings around the world, and not much is known about the species.
It is not known how many there are left.
The latest sighting took place in Zanzibar, a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa.
It was caught at sea by fishermen before being taken to a beach on Pemba Island.
From there, the rare shark was sold at the market for around £13.20 (TZS 43,000), presumably to be eaten by locals.
According to the Wildlife Conservation Society, it was the first time a megamouth had even been seen in East Africa.
In total, there have only been five sightings in Africa before the latest encounter.
They had previously been recorded in Mauritania, Liberia, Gabon, Senegal, and South Africa between 1995 and 2020.
Megamouth sharks are said to reach up to 23 feet (7 metres) in length, slightly larger than the great white.
However, most specimens to date have been recorded as being 18ft (5.5m) or less.
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