Scientists have found a fresh species of ghost shark, the Australasian Narrow-nosed Spookfish (Harriotta avia). A research expedition by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) discovered this strange-looking fish in the abyssal depths just off New Zealand and Australia. The find was laid in the Chatham Rise, an undersea region 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) off New Zealand’s South Island.
What Are Ghost Sharks?
While they have the name “shark” in them, ghost sharks (also known as chimaeras or spookfish) are not actually true sharks but are part of the shark and ray sub-class. Their skeletons are made of cartilage, not bone like most other bony fish. Cartilage is the same tissue that you have in your ears and nose. This deep-sea creature is also called ratfish or rabbit fish as well based on their looks. With zero scales and featureless, blank tar-black eyes- these creatures have bills craving to feed on things from the sea such as shrimp or mollusks.
Unique Features of the New Specie
The newly described species, Harriotta avia. Adapted for the pitch blackness of the deep ocean, deep-sea nets snag them; equipped with an elongated, narrow snout and long pectoral fins, large eyes to see in shadow. Its colour is chocolate brown and the animal exists at staggering depths up to 2,600 meters (8,530 feet) below the sunlit sea floor. These adaptations allow the spookfish to be an elite hunter foraging about the ocean’s floor.
The Challenge of Studying Deep-Sea Creatures
Ghost sharks are very difficult to study as they live in such extreme depth of the ocean. Their habitat is relatively difficult for scientists to observe their behaviors or understood more about their biology. One look at each freshly-spotted species, such as Harriotta avia serves to explain why. The deep-sea environment makes much about these animals a mystery, said Brit Finucci, the scientist who named this new species. The species is named after her grandmother, “avia” meaning grandmother in Latin.
Why This Discovery Matters
This singular species was believed to be a catch-all for ghost sharks until this discovery. Yet Harriotta avia has since been found by geneticists to be both genetically and physically different from these relatives. The find is a stark reminder of how little of our oceans we have even begun to explore and how many kinds of new species could be hiding out in the deep.
This breakthrough enhances our understanding of the diversity of life in the deep ocean and the importance of preserving these unknown ecosystems.
Sources:
DOI: 10.1007/s10641-024-01577-4
https://niwa.co.nz/news/new-species-nz-ghost-shark-discovered