Researchers have discovered a new species of “ghost shark” that exclusively lives in the deep waters surrounding Australia and New Zealand.
The “Australasian narrow-nosed spookfish” has a long, pointed nose, as its name indicates, and bulging black eyes. The creature has “chocolate brown” skin and a long, wispy tail, according to New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.
Ghost sharks, formally known as chimaeras, have smooth skin and no scales. They have “distinctive, beak-like teeth,” NIWA said, and primarily eat shrimp and mollusks.
The species lives in the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean, which NIWA scientist Brit Finucci said makes them difficult to study. One ghost shark was caught on camera swimming off the coast of California in 2017. The specimens studied by NIWA to make this identification were found during other research studies for Fisheries New Zealand.
“Their habitat makes them hard to study and monitor, meaning we don’t know a lot about their biology or threat status, but it makes discoveries like this even more exciting,” Finucci said.
The specimens found were thought to be part of a species that can be found around the world, but research revealed the Australasian narrow-nosed spookfish is “genetically and morphologically different to its cousins,” NIWA said.
Finucci gave the species the scientific name “Harriotta avia” in honor of her grandmother.
“Avia means grandmother in Latin; I wanted to give this nod to her because she proudly supported me through my career as a scientist,” Finucci said. “Chimaeras are also rather ancient relatives — the grandmas and grandpas — of fish and I thought the name was well suited.”
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