It looks like ET but it is not an extraterrestrial: it is the new shark discovered by a research group of the Mar Alliance, Florida State University and the National Marine Fisheries Service. He has two huge eyes that make him look like ET and he only lives in deep abysses, so he shouldn't be a danger to humans (maybe we are a danger to him though)
It looks like ET but it is not an extraterrestrial: it is the new shark discovered by a research group of the Mar Alliance, Florida State University and the National Marine Fisheries Service. He has two huge eyes and lives only in deep abysses, so he shouldn't be a danger to humans (maybe we are a danger to him).
They actually dubbed it ET because of the giant eyes, but actually this fascinating new species of shark lives on Earth and has been renamed Squalus Clarkae, named after marine biology pioneer Eugenie Clark. It was previously thought to be part of the Squalus mitsukurii family of Japan, but DNA testing has shown it to be a new species.
One specimen lives right in the sea in the Gulf of Mexico. But it is not excluded that there may be other specimens elsewhere. What is certain is that it is not an already known species.
"Deep-sea sharks are all shaped by similar evolutionary pressures, so they end up looking very similar - explained Toby Daly-Engel, co-author of the work - So we rely on DNA to know how long a species has been" evolutionarily alone "and how different it is now".
Foto: Mar Alliance via Florida Institute of Technology
The curious shark is about 80 centimeters long, therefore even less than its peers (on average 3-5 meters, but in some cases even 7 meters long) and lives in the deep waters off the Gulf of Mexico. So, for now, there is no alarm for us, while instead there is some alarm for him because of us. In fact, scholars have shown that its presence has already been negatively affected by fishing.
“This type of research is essential for the conservation and management of sharks, which are currently facing a multitude of threats, from overfishing and bycatch, to the global fin trade - added Pfleger, another co-author - Many fisheries around the world are starting to operate in deeper and deeper waters and, unfortunately, much less is known about the creatures that they live in the depths ".
In short, we want to get there too. We are emptying the oceans and therefore we go to the abyss. Without even knowing what is really there, how the inhabitants live and what they need. Research like this therefore, in addition to making us discover how immense nature is, can be very useful in defining conservation strategies even if, clearly, everything should start from abstaining from certain behaviors that are in themselves harmful to the environment.
Photo: Mar Alliance
The first study was published on Marine Biodiversity and then updated with new details on Biotaxa.
On sharks read also:
- Greenland sharks live over 500 years
- Shocking images of illegal shark fins discovered on a flight to Hong Kong
Roberta de carolis
Cover photo: Mar Alliance
