A team of marine biologists from New Zealand’s National institute of Water and Atmospheric Research accidentally struck gold when taking part in a trawl survey to estimate the number of hoki fish, they found a newly hatched baby ghost shark or chimaera as it is formally known.
This peculiar and elusive species of fish lives in the dark depths of the ocean.
According to a NIWA press release this neonate or hatchling was found at a depth of 3,940 feet or 1,200 meters) on the Chatham Rise off the South Island east coast.
In his statement in the release, the NIWA scientist, Brit Finucci, who was part of the expedition said: “You can tell this ghost shark recently hatched because it has a full belly of egg yolk. It’s quite astonishing. Most deep-water ghost sharks are known adult specimens; neonates are infrequently reported so we know very little about them.”
Though distantly related to rays and sharks, the ghost sharks are not technically sharks. Called living fossils, they are cartilaginous, meaning their bodies are made stiff from plates and bits of bone-like cartilage rather than bones.
Living in deep waters, they are rarely spotted and were first captured on video in 2016. It is estimated that 38 species of ghost shark exist in the world.
Scientists will run physical tests and do a genetic analysis on the creature to find out about the species. According to Finucci, “Finding this ghost shark will help us better understand the biology and ecology of this mysterious group of deep-water fish.”
