Scientists Make ‘Astonishing’ Discovery of Baby Ghost Shark

Scientists in New Zealand have made an “astonishing” discovery of a newly-hatched ghost shark.

The deep-water ghost shark – also known as a chimaera – was found at a depth of 1,200 meters during a recent survey off the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island, said the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).

Ghost sharks, cartilaginous relatives of rays and other sharks, live at extreme depths and are rarely collected or observed, and sightings of young ghost sharks are even rarer.

Their embryos develop in egg capsules laid on the seafloor, said the NIWA, feeding off egg yolk until they are ready to hatch.

“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 who was part of the team that made the discovery.

“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.”