Scientists have discovered a new species of “ghost shark” that live exclusively in the deep waters surrounding Australia and New Zealand.
The Australian narrow-nosed ghostfish has a long, pointed snout, as the name indicates, and bulging black eyes. The creature has “chocolate brown” skin and a long, radiant tail, according to New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.
Ghost sharks, formally known as chimeras, have smooth skin and no scales. They have “distinctive, beak-like teeth”, NIWA said, and eat mainly shrimp and molluscs.
The species lives in the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean, which NIWA researcher Brit Finucci said makes them difficult to study. A ghost shark was caught on camera swam off the coast of California in 2017. The specimens studied by NIWA to make this identification were found during other research studies for Fisheries New Zealand.
NIWA
“Their habitat makes them difficult to study and monitor, meaning we don’t know much about their biology or threat status, but that makes discoveries like this all the more exciting,” Finucci said.
The specimens found were thought to be part of a species that can be found around the world, but research showed the Australian narrow-nosed ghostfish is “genetically and morphologically different from its cousins”, NIWA said.
Finucci gave the species the scientific name “Harriott had” in honor of his grandmother.
“Avia means grandmother in Latin; I wanted to give this nod to her because she proudly supported me throughout my career as a scientist,” Finucci said. “Chimaeras are also quite old relatives – grandma and grandpa – of fish and I thought the name fit well.”