The incredibly rare ‘Megamouth’ shark, which has been seen less than 100 times since it was discovered in 1976, is caught by fishermen in Japan

The fifteen-foot shark was caught in fishing nets five kilometers from the port of Owase in Mie Prefecture in central Japan on Friday, Yahoo reports.

Footage shows fishermen holding open the huge jaws of the deep-sea inhabitant, which weighed a ton.

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The mega shark caught in fishing nets five kilometers from the port of Owase in Japan on Friday

Fishermen keep open the enormous jaws of the five-meter shark that weighed a ton

The elusive shark was purchased by a local fishmonger and shipped out of the prefecture.

Giant sharks have only been seen 60 times since they were discovered in 1976.

Most have been found in Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan, but the first confirmed sighting came in 1976, when a deep-sea anchor accidentally captured one off the coast of Hawaii.

Megath sharks can reach a maximum length of five meters and have a lifespan of up to 100 years.

The species descends to 160 meters underwater during the day before rising to 12 meters at night to feed.

They swim with their huge mouths open to feed on plankton and other foods.

The five-meter deep-sea inhabitant was purchased by a local fishmonger and shipped out of the prefecture.

The elusive shark was purchased by a local fishmonger and shipped out of the prefecture.

Megath sharks can reach a maximum length of five meters and have a lifespan of up to 100 years.

Most megath sparks have been found in Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines (pictured)

This 15-foot mega-feeding shark was discovered dead on the beach of Marigondon, Pio Dυran, in Albay province.

A giant 12-foot shark washed up on a South African beach on April 20, 2002.