Terrifying pitch black shark discovered in ocean abyss
25.12.2015 12:30
With black skin, bulbous eyes and the ability to glow in the dark, this is the Ninja Lanternshark – named for its incredible stealth.
Found more than a thousand metres beneath the surface of the pacific, the nightmare creature blends in with the blackness to sneak up on its prey.
And its flesh contains photophores, which produce a glow that allows it to blend in with the faint light penetrating the water when seen from below.
So scary is the creature that its scientific name, Etmopterus benchleyi, is inspired by Jaws and its creator Peter Benchley.
Eight of the sharks were pulled from the abyss of the Pacific Ocean, where they lurked at depths ranging from 836m to 1443m.
Credit for the find goes to the Pacific Shark Research Centre (PSRC) in the American state of California.
"We don’t know a lot about lanternsharks. They don’t get much recognition compared to a great white,” said Vicky Vásquez, a graduate student at the PSRC.
"So when it came to this shark I wanted to give it an interesting story,” she told Hakai Magazine.
Hence the name, which Vicky came up with in conjunction with her eight-year-old cousin.
Earlier this year, footage surfaced of the world's largest great white shark, named Deep Blue.
While villagers in Brazil recently found a peacock bass so large that two men struggled to lift it.
If you want to get up close and personal with a shark, check out our guide to the best places to swim with sharks.
(dailystar.co.uk)
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