The beak-like fish, now named Harriotta avia, specializes within the deep waters of Australia and New Zealand.
New Zealand scientists have found a brand new species of “ghost shark”.
The Wellington-based Nationwide Institute of Water and Atmospheric Analysis (NIWA) mentioned on Tuesday that the Australian narrownose ghost fish solely lives in deep waters round Australia and New Zealand.
The fish, which stalk the ocean ground and hunt for meals over greater than 2.6 kilometers (1.6 miles), was named after the grandmother of one of many analysis staff.
Ghost fish, also referred to as “ghost sharks” or “chimaos,” are associated to sharks and rays, however are fish with skeletons made fully of cartilage. Different names for these mysterious animals embody rat fish, rabbit fish, and elephant fish.
Ghost sharks have haunting black eyes and easy, mild brown, scaleless pores and skin.
They use their distinctive beak-like mouth to feed on crustaceans at depths as deep as 2,600 meters (8,530 toes).
“Ghost sharks like this dwell totally on the ocean ground,” mentioned analysis scientist Britt Finucci.
The specimens had been found whereas conducting analysis on the Chatham Rise, an space of the Pacific Ocean about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) east of New Zealand’s South Island.
“Grandparents of the Fish”
Finucci gave the brand new species the scientific title “Harriotta avia” in honor of her grandmother.
“Avia means grandmother in Latin. I wished to pay tribute to her as a result of she proudly supported my profession as a scientist. The chimaera can be a reasonably historical relative of fish – their grandparent, so I assumed the title was acceptable. ,” she mentioned.
“Their habitat makes them tough to check and monitor, that means we do not know a lot about their biology or risk standing, however that makes discoveries like this all of the extra thrilling.”
The ghost fish was beforehand considered a part of a single species with a worldwide distribution till scientists found that it was genetically and morphologically distinct from its cousins.
“The distinctive options of Harriotta avia are its lengthy, slender and concave snout; its lengthy, slender trunk; its giant eyes; and its lengthy, large pectoral fins. It is a beautiful chocolate brown coloration,” Finucci mentioned .
