(CNN) — Scientists in New Zealand have discovered a newborn ghost shark that they say could further their knowledge of the “mysterious” creature.
The ghost shark was discovered at a depth of around 1,200 meters in the Chatham Rise, an area of ocean floor off the east coast of the South Island.
The “very strange” discovery was made during a recent measurement, the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research said in a news release on Tuesday.
The ghost shark is a deep-sea animal that is scientifically known as a chimera (“chimaera” in English). It also goes by other names including ratfish, ghost fish, and rabbitfish, according to Shark Trust. The ghost shark is closely related to sharks and rays.
They are cartilaginous fish, whose skeletons are composed mainly of cartilage. Their embryos grow in egg capsules that they leave on the bottom of the sea and feed on the egg yolk until they hatch.
“You can tell this ghost shark was recently born because it has a belly full of egg yolk,” Brit Finucci, a fisheries scientist who was part of the team that made the discovery, said in the news release.
Ghost Shark Egg Capsules. (Credit: Dr Brit Finucci/NIWA)
“It’s pretty amazing. Most deep-sea ghost sharks are known adult specimens. Newborns are reported infrequently, so we know very little about them,” he added.
The exact species of ghost shark the team discovered is not yet known. And Finucci noted that more genetic testing and analysis would be needed.
The age of the specimen makes it an especially rare find. This will help further scientific knowledge about juvenile ghost sharks, as Finucci says other chimaera species indicate that juveniles “may have different dietary and habitat requirements” than adults.
“The young also look different from the adults. They have distinctive color patterns,” he said of other chimaera species. “Finding this ghost shark will help us better understand the biology and ecology of this mysterious group of deep-sea fish.”