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

Australia has unveiled 'Ghost Shark', an underwater drone that is capable of surveillance, intelligence collection and attacking enemy targets. The U.S. has a 'Monster Manta' that can carry a range of payloads, carry out long-range missions. Countries around the world are developing unmanned underwater vehicles for the next war at sea. What about India?

Gravitas: A new underwater warfare, is India prepared?

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

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