The first images of the mysterious ghost shark at a depth of 2,000m

The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in California, USA has just released the first images of the ghost shark in the ocean floor. According to scientists, this mysterious creature appeared before dinosaurs but they have very little information about them.

Ghost sharks are also called chimaera, which is an extremely rare blind fish with winged fins that have relatives with sharks and rays but have separated from these genera 300 million years ago.

The first images of the mysterious ghost shark at a depth of 2,000m Picture 1

Unlike other shark species we already know, ghost sharks do not have sharp teeth but only mineralized dentures, so their food is molluscs and insects. Ghost sharks often crawl on the seabed and move by smashing the fins like flapping wings.

The head and face of chimaera contain sensory cells that allow them to sense movement in the water and locate the prey. In addition, male sharks have very special genitalia that can shrink over their heads.

This strange ghost shark lives at a depth of about 380 - 2.6000m under the ocean so even though it has been known for a long time, people still do not know much about them.

The first images of the mysterious ghost shark at a depth of 2,000m Picture 2

This video is recorded by remote operation (ROV) taken by MRARI to the seabed at a depth of 2,042m since 2009.

According to experts on chimaera, the ghost shark in the video belongs to the spearhead green chimaera (Hydrolagus trolli) often appearing near New Zealand and Australia. But they still need to sample DNA to make sure.

If exactly as the experts predicted, this is the first time a spearhead green chimaera has been recorded in the natural environment of the Northern Hemisphere.