Another first for the team from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), who caught this ghost shark species on camera. Image: MBARI/YouTube.
Another first for the team from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), who caught this ghost shark species on camera. Image: MBARI/YouTube.
Another first for the team from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), who caught this ghost shark species on camera. Image: MBARI/YouTube.
This Pointy-nosed blue ratfish (Hydrolagus cf. trolli), a species of ghost shark, was videotaped by MBARI’s remotely operated vehicle Tiburon near the summit of Davidson Seamount, off the coast of Central California at a depth of about 1,640 m. This is the first footage showing the deep sea ghost shark alive in its natural habitat.
It also represents a range extension for this species, which was originally described from specimens collected off New Caledonia in 2002. It was named in honour of Alaskan artist Ray Troll because of his fascination and appreciation for this strange group of fishes, also known as chimaeras.