‘Very rare find’: New Zealand scientists discover baby ghost shark

The accidental discovery has opened the opportunity to know more about this rare species.

Rare ghost shark discovered in New Zealand, Ghost shark found in New Zealand, rare ghost shark spotted, Indian Express

Ghost sharks, formally known as chimaeras, are not real sharks. They are cartilaginous fish.

A newly-hatched baby ghost shark has been discovered by researchers in New Zealand. This important discovery was made accidentally when a team of researchers from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), a research body based in New Zealand, was conducting a trawl survey of the underwater populations at the Chatham Rise.

The discovery was announced on February 15. Ghost sharks, formally known as chimaeras, are not real sharks. They are cartilaginous fish and are popularly known as “ghost sharks” because of their eerie looks. Spotting a newly hatched chimaera is even more uncommon than spotting a fully formed ghost shark.

While speaking to the BBC, Dr Brit Finucci, a fisheries scientist at NIWA, said, “Deepwater species are generally hard to find, and like ghost sharks, in particular, they tend to be quite cryptic, so we just don’t see them very often.”

NIWA scientists have made the rare discovery of a newly-hatched ghost shark. 👻🦈

Read more here: https://t.co/CqANKjcLHf

— NIWA (@niwa_nz) February 15, 2022

In a statement on the NIWA website, Dr Finucci called it a “very rare and exciting find” and emphasised the importance of finding a hatchling instead of a fully grown chimaera and said, “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.”

Baby Ghost Shark do do bee do do Baby Ghost Shark 👻 🦈 #ghostshark #babyghostshark pic.twitter.com/faj2Pu9XLN

— Colin Jellie (@Jelliewobbler) February 16, 2022

Even rarer now as this is dead, all because some guy in a white coat wanted a closer look!

— Spence (@hairy_lizard) February 16, 2022

Should have left the poor fella where they found it

— Stuart Clarkson (@Stuart_Clarkson) February 16, 2022

I don’t wanna see rare Daddy Ghost Shark. Do do do-do do

— Meta Ry. (@mnRyguy) February 16, 2022

This is a timely find considering the NZ government were blasting the song baby shark to protesters recently

— Tommy Walker (@tommywalkerco) February 16, 2022

I have to admit, I never thought a baby shark would fill me with more horror than the song. https://t.co/ssJeFiI5w0

— Keir Shiels (@keirshiels) February 16, 2022

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.

— Tyler David (@tedavid93) February 16, 2022

The BBC reported the tissue sample will be taken from the neonate fish’s carcass and it will be sent for tests and genetic analysis. The findings will be very important for the field of marine biology.