Rare Baby Ghost Shark Discovered by New Zealand Scientists
NDTV
Ghost fish are cartilaginous creatures similar to sharks and rays. The cartilaginous nature of their skeletons gives them an eerie, ethereal quality.
A little-known fish species that lives in shadowy depths of the ocean has been discovered by scientists in New Zealand, the BBC reported. The newly-hatched ghost shark was spotted at a depth of 1.2 kilometres off the east coast of New Zealand's South Island, the BBC report further said.
Also known as chimaera, the species is rarely spotted. Scientists quoted by the BBC said that spotting of a ghost shark baby is even rarer as they hatch from eggs laid on the sea floor.
Dr Brit Finucci, a member of the team, called it a “neat find”, adding that the discovery was made by accident. Dr Finucci, who works as a fisheries scientist at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, said that the baby ghost shark normally hatch from egg capsules laid on the sea floor.
His team members said the discovery will help them better understand the early stages of the mysterious group of deep water fish.
