The Australasian narrow-nosed Spookfish, a species of ghost shark, was recently discovered inhabiting the deep waters surrounding Australia and New Zealand.
Scientists from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in Wellington discovered during their research in the Chatham Rise, a region of the Pacific Ocean extending approximately 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) east near the South Island of New Zealand.
Ghost sharks, also known as chimaeras or spookfish, are relatives of sharks and rays but belong to a group of fish characterized by skeletons made entirely of cartilage. These creatures possess distinctive features such as haunting black eyes and smooth, light brown skin devoid of scales.
They primarily reside on the ocean floor, feeding on crustaceans at depths reaching 2,600 metres (8,530 feet) using their unique beak-like mouth. “Ghost sharks like this one are largely confined to the ocean floor,” news agency AFP quoted research scientist Brit Finucci as saying.
Finucci chose to name the newly discovered species “Harriotta avia” in honour of her grandmother. She emphasized the challenges in studying and monitoring these deep-sea dwellers, stating, “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.”
Previously, the spookfish was believed to be a single globally distributed species until scientific analysis revealed genetic and morphological differences distinguishing it from its relatives.
Scientists from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in Wellington discovered during their research in the Chatham Rise, a region of the Pacific Ocean extending approximately 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) east near the South Island of New Zealand.
Ghost sharks, also known as chimaeras or spookfish, are relatives of sharks and rays but belong to a group of fish characterized by skeletons made entirely of cartilage. These creatures possess distinctive features such as haunting black eyes and smooth, light brown skin devoid of scales.
They primarily reside on the ocean floor, feeding on crustaceans at depths reaching 2,600 metres (8,530 feet) using their unique beak-like mouth. “Ghost sharks like this one are largely confined to the ocean floor,” news agency AFP quoted research scientist Brit Finucci as saying.
Finucci chose to name the newly discovered species “Harriotta avia” in honour of her grandmother. She emphasized the challenges in studying and monitoring these deep-sea dwellers, stating, “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.”
Previously, the spookfish was believed to be a single globally distributed species until scientific analysis revealed genetic and morphological differences distinguishing it from its relatives.