Australian fishermen caught a massive, 7,000-pound shark off the coast of Victoria, Australia on Monday.
Video posted online showed the 20-foot basking shark being lifted from a fishing trawler and placed on the ground.
Museum Victoria scientists measured the animal before taking samples from the animal.
The samples will be used to offer a rare insight into the life history of the shark in the southern hemisphere.
Museum Victoria said it has only encountered three basking sharks in over 160 years of documenting Victoria’s wildlife.
According to officials, the head and fins of the shark were taken to the museum to build a full-scale exhibition model.