Ghost shark has a strange shape

A newly discovered species of ghost shark with many strange characteristics lives at a depth of hundreds of meters off the coast of Thailand.

The shape of the ghost shark Chimaera supapae. Photo: David A. Ebert

Scientists have discovered a never-before-seen species of ghost shark with a giant head, oversized iridescent eyes and plume-like fins in the deep waters of the Andaman Sea off Thailand, Live Science reported on March 20. The reclusive deep-sea fish, Chimaera supapae , is a cartilaginous fish in the oldest class of fish alive today, Chimaeriformes . They are distant relatives of sharks and rays. The researchers described the discovery in a paper published in the journal Raffles Bulletin of Zoology.

Ghost sharks are rare in these waters, according to David Ebert, program director of the Pacific Shark Research Center at San Jose State University in California, and lead researcher. Ghost sharks live on continental slopes and mid-ocean ridges. Found at depths below 500 meters, they lurk in the dark waters, feeding on bottom-dwelling animals such as crustaceans, mollusks, and worms.

The new discovery brings the number of known ghost shark species in the world to 54. Their deep-sea environment makes them difficult to find, especially in the Andaman Sea, where depths in some areas reach more than 4,400 meters. Ghost sharks get their name from their large eyes and tapered, mouse-like bodies. Some species can grow up to two meters long.

The juvenile male specimen was discovered during a deep-sea survey project in 2018. Scientists collected it during a trawl in the Andaman Sea at a depth of 772 - 775 m below the surface. The team recognized it as a new species thanks to its massive head, short snout and large eyes that accounted for more than 32% of its total head length.

C. supapae is a short-nosed, 51-centimeter-long ghost shark with broad pectoral fins. Ebert suspects that the plume-like fins help it maneuver over rocks. C. supapae's large, iridescent blue eyes help it see through the pitch-black water. Its skin is dark brown with no recognizable patterns. The fish has a single spine on its head.

"Evolutionarily, ghost sharks are among the oldest fish, with lineages dating back 300 to 400 million years. The discovery of a new species of ghost shark shows how little we know about the marine environment," said Ebert.

An Khang (According to Live Science )

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