New species of deep-sea ghost shark

September 24 () –

A new species of ghost shark that lives exclusively in deep waters has been discovered in the ocean near Australia and New Zealand.

The Australasian narrow-nosed ghostfish It was described by Dr Brit Finucci, a fisheries scientist at New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). It was previously thought to be part of a single, globally distributed species, until research revealed that it is genetically and morphologically distinct from its cousins.

Ghost sharks, or chimeras, are a group of cartilaginous fishes closely related to sharks and raysOther names for these mysterious animals include ratfish, rabbitfish, and elephantfish.

They have smooth skin, without scales.and feed on crustaceans such as shrimp and mollusks with their distinctive beak-like teeth.

“Harriotta avia (as it has been named) is unique because of its elongated, narrow, depressed snout; long, slender trunk; large eyes; and very long, wide pectoral fins. It is a beautiful chocolate brown color,” Finucci explained. in a statement.

“Ghost sharks like this one are largely confined to the ocean floor, and live at depths of up to 2,600 meters“Their habitat makes them difficult to study and monitor, meaning we don’t know much about their biology or threat status, but it makes discoveries like this all the more exciting,” he added.

The specimens were collected at Chatham Rise off the coast of New Zealand during research studies for Fisheries New Zealand.