Scientists have discovered a very rare baby ghost shark in deep waters off the coast of New Zealand.
Ghost sharks are a poorly understood relative of sharks and rays also known as chimeras, but the new find may help change that.
“Finding this ghost shark will help us better understand the biology and ecology of this mysterious group of deep-water fish,” National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) Fisheries Scientist Dr. Brit Finucci said in a press release announcing the find.
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The young shark was found by NIWA scientists during a trawl survey to assess the population of hoki, a white fish found in New Zealand and Australia. It was discovered about 3,900 feet below sea level in an area known as the Chatham Rise, part of the sea floor off the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island, CNN reported.
Read more: Ecowatch