According to Live Science, the shark looks like a small alien. It is one of over 50 known species of ghost sharks that live in deep waters around the world.
The shark baby was born quite recently. It was discovered by scientists at the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) while researching fish populations. They analyzed the specimens they came across at a depth of 1200 meters.
According to NIWA researchers, ghost shark embryos develop in egg capsules deposited on the seafloor. There, the encased embryos feed on the yolk until it’s time to hatch. Given their small size and exceptionally deep habitat, baby ghost sharks are extremely rare.
Researchers plan to conduct genetic tests on the cub to try to figure out what kind of ghost shark it belongs to. They can then compare the newborn to adults of the same species to better understand how the color, size and feeding habits of fish change between infancy and adulthood.
