|
| A deep-sea angler recently reeled in this mysterious shark with bulging eyes, rough skin and an unnervingly human-like smile. (Image credit: Trapman Bermagui) |
A bizarre deep-sea shark with bulging eyes and an unnerving, human-like
smile was recently dragged up from the depths off the coast of Australia.
Shark experts are uncertain exactly which species the creepy-looking
creature might belong to, adding to the mystery surrounding the unusual
specimen.
A deep-sea angler, who goes by the online name Trapman Bermagui, reeled in
the mysterious shark from a depth of around 2,130 feet (650 meters) off the
coast of New South Wales in Australia. The fisher later shared a snap of the
deep-sea specimen on Sept. 12 on Facebook. The image
shows off the dead shark's rough sandpaper-like skin, large pointed snout,
large bulging eyes and exposed pearly whites.
The shark’s unusual features quickly caught the attention of other Facebook
users, who were either amazed or terrified by the creature. One commenter
wrote that the specimen was "the stuff of nightmares," while another wrote
that the creature's "evil smile" gave them "major creeps." Other people
joked about the animal's appearance, speculating that the shark was wearing
"false teeth" or that it was smiling after finally having its braces
removed.
Commenters also speculated about which species the shark belonged to. The
most common guess was that the specimen was a cookiecutter shark (Isistius
brasiliensis), which is named for the distinctive bite marks it leaves on
larger animals. Other guesses included a goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni)
or a species of lantern shark (Etmopteridae).
However, Trapman Bermagui disagreed with the online commenters. "Totally not
a cookiecutter," the fisher told Newsweek. "It's a rough
skin shark, also known as a species of endeavor dogfish."
Endeavor dogfish (Centrophorus moluccensis) are a type of gulper shark, a
group of deep-sea sharks found throughout the world, according to the Shark Research Institute.
But some shark experts were unconvinced by the fisher's identification.
"Looks to me like a deepwater kitefin shark (Dalatias licha), which are
known in the waters off Australia," Christopher Lowe, director of the Shark
Lab at California State University, Long Beach, told Newsweek. Although, it
is hard to tell for sure without being able to see the entire specimen, he
added.
Dean Grubbs, a marine biologist and shark expert at Florida State
University, offered up a different conclusion. Grubbs suspected that the
dead shark was a roughskin dogfish (Centroscymnus owstonii), a type of
sleeper shark from the same family as Greenland sharks (Somniosus
microcephalus), according to Newsweek.
It is also possible that the shark could belong to a never-before-seen
species, Lowe said. "We discover new species of deepwater shark all the time
and many look very similar to each other."
However, other experts believe that Trapman Bermagui may have been spot on
after all.
"It's a gulper shark," Brit Finucci, a fisheries scientist at the National
Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand who specializes
in deep-sea sharks, told Live Science in an email. However, it is unclear
exactly which species in this group it belongs to, she added.
Charlie Huveneers, a shark scientist at Flinders University in Australia,
told Live Science that he agreed with Finucci's identification and that the
animal was most likely a gulper shark.
"In the past, gulper sharks were targeted by fisheries for their liver oil
in New South Wales," Finucci said. Most gulper sharks are "very sensitive to
overexploitation from fishing" and as a result, "some species are now highly
threatened and protected in Australia," she added.
Originally published on
Live Science.
Tags:
Plants & Animals