Scientists in New Zealand have discovered a rare ghost shark hatchling from an area of ocean floor situated near the South Island. The newly-hatched deep water shark was collected at a depth of around 1,200 meters on the Chatham Rise.
The baby ghost shark was discovered by New Zealand’s research body, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) while conducting a trawl survey of the underwater populations in Chatham Rise.
NIWA Fisheries Scientist Dr Brit Finucci, who was part of the research team, said in a recent press release that the ghost shark was a ‘very rare and exciting find’.
According to Shark Trust, Ghost shark, scientifically known as Chimaera, are mysterious deep-sea animals which are not real sharks but have skeletons made up of cartilage.
The embryo of a Chimaera is generally found on the sea floor where it grows in egg capsules while feeding off egg yolk until it hatches. Most species of ghost sharks are found at depths of over 500m and only a few species live in shallow coastal waters.
Dr Finucci said that while adult ghost sharks are uncommon to find, it was astonishing that her team at NIWA had found a baby ghost shark. One can tell that NIWA's research team has found a newly hatched Chimaera as the little one has a full belly of egg yolk.
NIWA scientists have made the rare discovery of a newly-hatched ghost shark.
Read more here: https://t.co/CqANKjcLHf
— NIWA (@niwa_nz) February 15, 2022
Dr Brit Finucci also told BBC that this was a ‘neat find’ and the accidental discovery of the juvenile Chimaera would help in understanding the biology and some of the ecology of the species. Since young ghost sharks tend to display different characteristics and colour patterns from adult Chimaeras, this discovery becomes extremely significant in studying the habits of a young Chimaera.
Dr Finucci added that the exact species of the hatchling is yet not discovered but genetic analytics and tissue sampling will be done to find out more about the baby Chimaera. Morphometrics or body measurements may also be carried out to assess the species of the deep-sea animal.
Through this discovery, scientists at NIWA are hopeful to find out more about the habits and dietary patterns of a juvenile Chimaera and it will be exciting to witness some new findings and revelations about the deep-sea creature.
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