The scientists have made a discovery in the depths of the Andaman Sea, Thailand. A new species of the Ghost Shark has been found. These are known to be related to sharks and rays.

<h2>History</h2>

Ghost sharks are known as, Chimaera supapae and are found in deep oceans. The name originated from the three-headed fire-breathing Greek mythical creature, Chimaera. Supapae draws from a late Thailand scientist, Supap Monokolprasit who dedicated her life to studying cartilaginous fishes. The programme director of the Pacific Shark Research Center, David Ebert said, as per LiveScience, "There were only 53 known species of chimaera in the world; this makes 54".

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<h2>Features</h2>

Commonly referred to as ghost sharks and ratfish,&nbsp;these species have a gigantic head and large iridescent eyes. The extra large eyes allow them to see in the depths of the ocean.

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Rarely spotted in the Andaman Sea, they prefer staying towards the bottom of the ocean beyond 1,640 feet (500 metres) in the dark region.

To dodge their predators, ghost sharks&nbsp;have a dark-brown skin that helps them camouflage and save themselves from becoming prey. Their rear spine further adds to their protection.

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Since Chimaera supapae are usually located at the depths of the ocean, they feed on worms, molluscs, crustaceans, etc.

<h2>Discovery</h2>

A dead male Chimaera was discovered 6 years back as a part of a deep-sea survey in 2018. Researchers found him in the Andaman Sea between 2,533 and 2543 feet (772 to 775 m) below the surface. After identifying&nbsp;features such as enormous oval eyes, short snout, etc. researchers concluded that it was a short-nose chimaera. Discoveries such as ghost sharks emit light on the fact that so much in the world is still yet to be identified by humans and that the world is much larger than our imagination.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The scientists have made a discovery in the depths of the Andaman Sea, Thailand. A new species of the Ghost Shark has been found. These are known to be related to sharks and rays.

The scientists have made a discovery in the depths of the Andaman Sea, Thailand. A new species of the Ghost Shark has been found. These are known to be related to sharks and rays. History Ghost sharks are known as, Chimaera supapae and are found in deep oceans. The name originated from the three-headed fire-breathing Greek mythical creature, Chimaera. Supapae draws from a late Thailand scientist, Supap Monokolprasit who dedicated her life to studying cartilaginous fishes. The programme director of the Pacific Shark Research Center, David Ebert said, as per LiveScience, "There were only 53 known species of chimaera in the world; this makes 54". Also read | Video: Was a UFO sighted in Cape Town? Weird red cloud triggers chatter on Internet Features Commonly referred to as ghost sharks and ratfish, these species have a gigantic head and large iridescent eyes. The extra large eyes allow them to see in the depths of the ocean. Watch | Morocco's increasing forest fire risk, outdoor cooking increasing forest risk Rarely spotted in the Andaman Sea, they prefer staying towards the bottom of the ocean beyond 1,640 feet (500 metres) in the dark region. To dodge their predators, ghost sharks have a dark-brown skin that helps them camouflage and save themselves from becoming prey. Their rear spine further adds to their protection. Also read | A bizarre theft! Robber falls asleep while in action, gets arrested next day Since Chimaera supapae are usually located at the depths of the ocean, they feed on worms, molluscs, crustaceans, etc. Discovery A dead male Chimaera was discovered 6 years back as a part of a deep-sea survey in 2018. Researchers found him in the Andaman Sea between 2,533 and 2543 feet (772 to 775 m) below the surface. After identifying features such as enormous oval eyes, short snout, etc. researchers concluded that it was a short-nose chimaera. Discoveries such as ghost sharks emit light on the fact that so much in the world is still yet to be identified by humans and that the world is much larger than our imagination. (With inputs from agencies)

Scientists find ‘Ghost Shark’ with giant head and iridescent eyes in Andaman Sea

A new kind of fish, having giant eyes, massive head and feather-like fins has been found off the coast of Thailand. The rare creature has been named Chimaera supapae.

A new kind of fish, having giant eyes, massive head and feather-like fins has been found off the coast of Thailand. The rare creature has been named Chimaera supapae. Chimaeras, which are also known as "ghost sharks", are a kind of cartilaginous fish that are not related to the rays and sharks. According to Live Science, Cartilaginous fish are some of the oldest fishes which are still found. As explained by the researchers, the newly found species is one type of shortnose chimaera. Also Read: Scientists make stunning discovery of fossil belonging to 240 million-year-old 'dragon' The discovery was documented by the scientists in a paper published in the journal Raffles Bulletin of Zoology on March 6. Ghost sharks live in darkness of deep sea: study The paper emphasised that the ghost sharks are found in the deep sea's dark waters where there is no sunlight. The chimaera is exactly found at depths of below 1,640 feet near the continental slopes and ocean ridges. The species of fish generally feed on bottom-dwelling animals like mollusks and crustaceans. Chimaera supapae is capable of growing nearly 20 inches long with broad pectoral fins. As per the scientists, the fins of the creature assist it in moving around the sea floor. The species was found off the Andaman coast of Thailand and was deceased. It was discovered in 2018 as part of a deep-sea survey project. "Chimaera are rare in this region of the world," said David Ebert, lead author of the study and programme director of the Pacific Shark Research Center at San Jose State University in California while speaking to Live Science. Watch: Nigerian woman tackles hunger through fishery "There were only 53 known species of chimaera in the world; this makes 54," said Ebert. Chimaera supapae's discovery is huge for scientists since it helps in learning more about the diversity of life present in the deep sea. "Evolutionarily, these chimaeras are among some of the oldest lineages of fishes with the lineage going back 300-400 million years," said Ebert. "The discovery of new species like this chimaera tells us how little we know about the marine environment and how much is still to be explored," he added. (With inputs from agencies)

Rare ‘ghost shark’, which hunts in deep ocean, found in Thailand

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.&nbsp;

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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."&nbsp;

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.

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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." 
&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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.

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. Also read | In a rare finding, researchers claim leopard seals feed on sharks in New Zealand waters “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. Also read | Study reveals that proteins taken from shark immune systems can neutralise COVID-19 and its variants 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)

Researchers make surprising discovery of ultra-rare baby ghost shark

Take one look at a ghost shark and you may say, “What’s up with that weird-looking fish?”

Over the past few decades, scientists learned that these cartilaginous fishes, also known as ratfish or Chimaeras, have been around for hundreds of millions of years and that they have venomous spines in front of their dorsal fins and “fly” through the water by flapping their pectoral fins. They even learned that most male ghost sharks have a retractable sex organ on their foreheads that resembles a medieval mace.

However, much remains to be learned about these strange creatures. Basic biological information, like how long they live and how often they reproduce, is lacking for most of the 52 known species. The absence of this key information makes it difficult for scientists to manage and monitor ghost shark populations, even as evidence mounts that some species may be at risk of extinction.

Scientists from the Shark Specialist Group, a division of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, recently assessed the extinction risk of all confirmed ghost-shark species and determined that 16% are “threatened” or “near threatened.” The assessment, which was published this month in the journal Fish and Fisheries, also found that 15% of ghost-shark species are so understudied that their extinction risk cannot be determined. Now experts are concerned that certain ghost-shark species might go extinct before scientists have a chance to study them.

Ghost sharks can be found in all of the world’s oceans, except the Arctic and the Antarctic. Most inhabit the deep sea, although a handful of species inhabit shallow coastal waters. Despite their name, ghost sharks are not true sharks, although they are closely related. Unlike their shark cousins, ghost sharks have long, thin tails and large, continuously growing tooth plates that give them a ratlike appearance. Some have long skinny snouts while others sport plow-shaped ones that they use to probe seafloor sediment in search of food.

“They’ve got a face only a mother or a researcher could love,” said David Ebert, director of the Pacific Shark Research Center at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in California and co-author of the assessment.

Nearly half the species known to science were discovered only during the past two decades. “We’re just now starting to figure out that there are a lot more of these things around than we realized previously,” said Ebert, whose lab has been credited with the discovery of 11 of the 52 known ghost-shark species.

Ebert is one of only a handful of scientists studying ghost sharks. Securing funding to study them has long been a challenge for scientists.

“Chimaeras don’t have much value commercially, so there’s not a lot of interest in getting more information about them,” said Brit Finucci, fisheries scientist at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand and lead author of the assessment. “They’re also quite cryptic, so they’re hard to find and hard to study.”

Several species of ghost shark, including the Bahamas ghost shark, are known from only one specimen.

Ghost sharks are primarily caught as bycatch. While their meat is edible, the majority of their commercial value comes from their livers, which contain an oil known as squalene that is used in a wide variety of cosmetic and pharmaceutical products.

Although they are harvested and sold all over the world, 90% of ghost-shark species are unmanaged, according to the IUCN assessment. This means that those who catch these species are not subject to limits and are not obligated to share data about their catch.

If fishing fleets continue venturing farther into the deep sea, experts fear, some species of ghost shark could disappear before scientists even notice that they are in trouble.

“How can we start to wrap our head around keeping them from going extinct if we don’t know anything about them?” said Dominique Didier, an ichthyologist at Millersville University in Pennsylvania.

In order to prevent ghost-shark extinctions from occurring unnoticed, the authors argue, more scientists need to study ghost sharks, and marine authorities need to exercise more oversight and management of ghost-shark fisheries around the world.

“We shouldn’t be waiting,” Finucci said. “Even though these animals are assessed with a lesser risk of extinction, we shouldn’t wait until they are actually a threatened species before we start studying them.”

Take one look at a ghost shark and you may say, “What’s up with that weird-looking fish?” Over the past few decades, scientists learned that these cartilaginous fishes, also known as ratfish or Chimaeras, have been around for hundreds of millions of years and that they have venomous spines in front of their dorsal fins and “fly” through the water by flapping their pectoral fins.

Take one look at a ghost shark and you may say, “What’s up with that weird-looking fish?” Over the past few decades, scientists learned that these cartilaginous fishes, also known as ratfish or Chimaeras, have been around for hundreds of millions of years and that they have venomous spines in front of their dorsal fins and “fly” through the water by flapping their pectoral fins. They even learned that most male ghost sharks have a retractable sex organ on their foreheads that resembles a medieval mace. However, much remains to be learned about these strange creatures. Basic biological information, like how long they live and how often they reproduce, is lacking for most of the 52 known species. The absence of this key information makes it difficult for scientists to manage and monitor ghost shark populations, even as evidence mounts that some species may be at risk of extinction. Scientists from the Shark Specialist Group, a division of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, recently assessed the extinction risk of all confirmed ghost-shark species and determined that 16% are “threatened” or “near threatened.” The assessment, which was published this month in the journal Fish and Fisheries, also found that 15% of ghost-shark species are so understudied that their extinction risk cannot be determined. Now experts are concerned that certain ghost-shark species might go extinct before scientists have a chance to study them. Ghost sharks can be found in all of the world’s oceans, except the Arctic and the Antarctic. Most inhabit the deep sea, although a handful of species inhabit shallow coastal waters. Despite their name, ghost sharks are not true sharks, although they are closely related. Unlike their shark cousins, ghost sharks have long, thin tails and large, continuously growing tooth plates that give them a ratlike appearance. Some have long skinny snouts while others sport plow-shaped ones that they use to probe seafloor sediment in search of food. “They’ve got a face only a mother or a researcher could love,” said David Ebert, director of the Pacific Shark Research Center at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in California and co-author of the assessment. Nearly half the species known to science were discovered only during the past two decades. “We’re just now starting to figure out that there are a lot more of these things around than we realized previously,” said Ebert, whose lab has been credited with the discovery of 11 of the 52 known ghost-shark species. Ebert is one of only a handful of scientists studying ghost sharks. Securing funding to study them has long been a challenge for scientists. “Chimaeras don’t have much value commercially, so there’s not a lot of interest in getting more information about them,” said Brit Finucci, fisheries scientist at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand and lead author of the assessment. “They’re also quite cryptic, so they’re hard to find and hard to study.” Several species of ghost shark, including the Bahamas ghost shark, are known from only one specimen. Ghost sharks are primarily caught as bycatch. While their meat is edible, the majority of their commercial value comes from their livers, which contain an oil known as squalene that is used in a wide variety of cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. Although they are harvested and sold all over the world, 90% of ghost-shark species are unmanaged, according to the IUCN assessment. This means that those who catch these species are not subject to limits and are not obligated to share data about their catch. If fishing fleets continue venturing farther into the deep sea, experts fear, some species of ghost shark could disappear before scientists even notice that they are in trouble. “How can we start to wrap our head around keeping them from going extinct if we don’t know anything about them?” said Dominique Didier, an ichthyologist at Millersville University in Pennsylvania. In order to prevent ghost-shark extinctions from occurring unnoticed, the authors argue, more scientists need to study ghost sharks, and marine authorities need to exercise more oversight and management of ghost-shark fisheries around the world. “We shouldn’t be waiting,” Finucci said. “Even though these animals are assessed with a lesser risk of extinction, we shouldn’t wait until they are actually a threatened species before we start studying them.”

Will ghost sharks vanish before scientists can study them?

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