Marine biologists have discovered a brand new species of lantern shark that is so stealthy, they've likened it a Japanese ninja.
The skin of the shark also contains so-called photophores, that make the fish 'glow' as it hunts its prey in the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
Although the researchers have dubbed it Ninja lanternshark, its official name is Etmopterus benchleyi - named after the novelist Peter Benchley who wrote Jaws.
The Ninja lanternshark was found in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Central America.
It can grow up to 19 inches (half a metre) long and is the first species of lanternshark to be found in the region, which stretches from Nicaragua to Panama.
The discovery was made by a team of marine biologists, led by Vicky Vasquez, a biologist at the Pacific Shark Research Center in California.
‘We don’t know a lot about lanternsharks. They don’t get much recognition compared to a Great White,’ Ms. Vasquez told Hakai magazine.
‘So when it came to this shark I wanted to give it an interesting story.’
While its common name reportedly comes from conversations with the researcher’s young cousins, it is officially named after the author, as a nod to his love of the fish.
Vasquez said that while her cousins had opted for the initial name of ‘super ninja shark,’ due to the animal’s sleek shadowy appearance, the shark’s name was toned down a little to its current moniker.
Eight of the animals were caught at depths of between 2,624 to 4,720ft (830 and 1440 metres), in the Pacific waters mainly off the coast of Costa Rica and Panama.
According to the researchers, the animal’s pitch black skin contains photophores - light-emitting spots that offer up a faint glow.
This feature is common to many animals living at ocean depths and may help the sharks to swim stealthily through the oceanic depths and sneak up on their prey, believed to be small fish and shrimp.
The deep ocean has offered up some of the weirdest creatures ever seen, from vicious looking angler fish to worms which can grow to 9.8ft (3 metres) long.
Elsewhere, the prehistoric Goblin shark, often termed the 'vampire shark,' dwells in the deep dark waters off the coast of Australia.
Goblin sharks are believed to be the last known species of Mitsukurinidae, a family of sharks from 125 million years ago.
A fully grown goblin shark is between 10ft and 14ft (3 and 4 metres) long and these weird, but amazing creatures skulk about the ocean floor at depths of up to 3,900ft (1,200 metres).
The findings are published in the Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation.
The skin of the shark also contains so-called photophores, that make the fish 'glow' as it hunts its prey in the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
Although the researchers have dubbed it Ninja lanternshark, its official name is Etmopterus benchleyi - named after the novelist Peter Benchley who wrote Jaws.
The Ninja lanternshark was found in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Central America.
It can grow up to 19 inches (half a metre) long and is the first species of lanternshark to be found in the region, which stretches from Nicaragua to Panama.
The discovery was made by a team of marine biologists, led by Vicky Vasquez, a biologist at the Pacific Shark Research Center in California.
‘We don’t know a lot about lanternsharks. They don’t get much recognition compared to a Great White,’ Ms. Vasquez told Hakai magazine.
‘So when it came to this shark I wanted to give it an interesting story.’
While its common name reportedly comes from conversations with the researcher’s young cousins, it is officially named after the author, as a nod to his love of the fish.
Vasquez said that while her cousins had opted for the initial name of ‘super ninja shark,’ due to the animal’s sleek shadowy appearance, the shark’s name was toned down a little to its current moniker.
Eight of the animals were caught at depths of between 2,624 to 4,720ft (830 and 1440 metres), in the Pacific waters mainly off the coast of Costa Rica and Panama.
According to the researchers, the animal’s pitch black skin contains photophores - light-emitting spots that offer up a faint glow.
This feature is common to many animals living at ocean depths and may help the sharks to swim stealthily through the oceanic depths and sneak up on their prey, believed to be small fish and shrimp.
The deep ocean has offered up some of the weirdest creatures ever seen, from vicious looking angler fish to worms which can grow to 9.8ft (3 metres) long.
Elsewhere, the prehistoric Goblin shark, often termed the 'vampire shark,' dwells in the deep dark waters off the coast of Australia.
Goblin sharks are believed to be the last known species of Mitsukurinidae, a family of sharks from 125 million years ago.
A fully grown goblin shark is between 10ft and 14ft (3 and 4 metres) long and these weird, but amazing creatures skulk about the ocean floor at depths of up to 3,900ft (1,200 metres).
The findings are published in the Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation.
Music : On The Ground by Kevin MacLeod
Source : DailyMail , Ocean Science Foundation
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