Researchers make surprising discovery of ultra-rare baby ghost shark

Researchers have made a surprise discovery of a ultra-rare baby ghost shark in New Zealand.

The neonate or newly hatched deepwater shark was collected at a depth of approximately 1200m on the Chatham Rise.

The discovery, made by scientists at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), deepens understanding of the juvenile stage of the species.

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“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 [newly hatched] are infrequently reported so we know very little about them,” said Dr Brit Finucci, a fisheries scientist at NIWA.

"Deepwater species are generally hard to find, and like ghost sharks in particular, they tend to be quite cryptic. "So we just don't see them very often."

Also known as chimaeras, ghost sharks are cartilaginous relatives of sharks and rays but distinguished by several differences, including having only one gill on either side of the body.

Inhabitants of deep water, chimaeras can grow more than six feet long depending on the species. Their eyes are backed with a reflective tissue layer that makes them seem to glow in the dark, contributing to an eerie—even ghostlike—appearance

Their embryos develop in egg capsules laid on the sea floor, feeding off a yolk until they are ready to hatch.

“From better studied chimaera species, we know that juveniles and adults can have different dietary and habitat requirements. Juveniles also look dissimilar to adults, having distinctive colour patterns. Finding this ghost shark will help us better understand the biology and ecology of this mysterious group of deep-water fish,” Finucci said.

"We'll take a little tissue sample and random genetics," she said. "Then we'll do a whole bunch of morphometrics or body measurements as well, which will also help us assess what species we're looking at."

(With inputs from agencies)