This is not the first time baby sharks have gained attention. No, it is not the children’s song that topped the UK Charts — this time, it is a rare baby ghost shark that was discovered by scientists in New Zealand.
Ghost sharks or chimaeras are not real sharks but are related to the latter because of their skeletons that are composed of cartilage instead of bones — giving them a translucent appearance. Their ghostly trait seemed to extend even to their human exposure; they usually do not reveal themselves since they live in the deep waters. While some species like living in shallow coastal waters, this baby shark was collected at about 1.2km (0.7 miles) underwater near the South Island. Scientists at New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research told BBC that the discovery was accidental and a “neat find”.
“Deepwater species are generally hard to find, and like ghost sharks in particular, they tend to be quite cryptic,” said Dr. Brit Finucci.
They believe that the baby shark was a new hatch, as its belly was still covered in yolk. The discovery became more significant as young ghost sharks can show characteristics (i.e. habitat, diet, appearance) that are not similar to the adult ones, making the biology and ecology of the species more comprehensible for researchers.
The next step? Finding out the baby shark’s species, according to Dr. Finucci. “We'll take a little tissue sample and random genetics, 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."
Image credit: Brit Finucci