Ghost shark

29 Oct 2024 15:27:29 pm

Tags : Ghost shark

Topic: Biodiversity

Why in the news?

Scientists in New Zealand discovered a new species of \"ghost shark\", a type of fish that prowls the Pacific Ocean floor hunting prey more than a mile down.
The specimens were discovered during research in the Chatham Rise, an area of the Pacific which stretches around 1,000 km. east near New Zealand\'s South Island.
The new species is named \"Harriotta avia\".

Source: The Hindu

About Ghost shark:

It is also known as the Australasian Narrow-nosed Spookfisher.
It is a distant relative of sharks and rays.
- It has a shark-like appearance with bulky heads and long, tapered tails.
- However, it belongs to a completely different group of fish whose bones are made of cartilage and lack scales.
It has a long nose and black, bulged-out eyes.
It has ‘chocolate brown’ skin with a distinctive long wispy tail.
It primarily feeds on shrimps and mollusks.
It prefers to live in deep waters.
It is soft-bodied.
None of the species of ghost sharks are listed as endangered, but several species are tagged as ‘vulnerable’ and a few more as ‘near threatened,’ according to the IUCN list.