New Zealand scientists discover ‘ghost fish’

New Zealand scientists announced Tuesday that they have discovered a new species of “ghost shark,” a type of fish that prowls the Pacific Ocean floor searching for prey more than a kilometer (0.6 miles) below the surface.

The Australasian narrow-nosed speckled fish has been discovered living in the deep waters of Australia and New Zealand, according to scientists from the Wellington-based National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).

The specimens were discovered during research in the Chatham Ridge, an area of ​​the Pacific that extends about 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) to the east, near New Zealand’s South Island.

Ghost sharks, or chimaeras, are related to sharks and rays, but are part of a group of fish whose skeletons are made entirely of cartilage.

Also known as ghost sharks, ghost sharks have haunting black eyes and smooth, light brown, scaleless skin.

They feed on crustaceans at depths of up to 2,600 metres (8,530 ft) using their distinctive beak-like mouths.

“Ghost sharks like this one are largely confined to the ocean floor,” said research scientist Brit Finucci.

Finucci gave the new species its scientific name “Harriotta avia” in memory of his grandmother.

“Their habitat makes them difficult to study and monitor, which means we don’t know much about their biology or threat status, but that makes discoveries like this even more exciting.”

The spectator fish was previously thought to be a single, globally distributed species until scientists discovered that it is genetically and morphologically different from its cousins.

© 2024 AFP