Ghost Shark Caught on Camera for the First Time
Dec. 15, 2016 - Previously discovered in the deep sea near Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia, researchers observed the pointy-nosed bluechimaera in the North Pacific for the first time in 2009. This footage was captured by a remotely operated vehicle as far as 6,700 feet below the ocean surface. Only recently were experts able to confirm that these fish were the same species as the ones that were previously discovered in the Southern Hemisphere. DNA sampling still needs to be conducted to be certain.
Read more about this odd-looking fish, which also sports a retractable sex organ on its head.Video courtesy Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
This is the first ever footage of the pointy-nosed blue chimaera, which lives in the deep sea.
Like sharks, chimaeras' skeletons are composed of cartilage, not bone.
The small dots around their head are believed to be sensory organs that help them find food.
Previously, this strange-looking fish was found only in the Southern Hemisphere.
In 2009, researchers observed the fish for the first time off the coast of Hawaii and California.
Unlike other chimaeras, or “ghost sharks,” the pointy-nosed blue chimaera seems to prefer a rocky habitat.
