A New Zealand researcher has discovered a new species of ghost shark – the Australian narrownose ghost fish – and named it after her grandmother. About this reports CNN.
Brit Finucci, an employee of the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), found an unusual specimen in the ocean waters between Australia and New Zealand. Before this, it was assumed that ghost sharks had no biological ramifications. They are noted to live so deep that they are difficult to study.
The Australian narrownose ghostfish is unique with its elongated and laterally depressed snout, thin body, large eyes and very long and wide pectoral fins. It also stands out for its color – chocolate brown.
Finucci gave the new species the name Harriotta avia. “Avia means “grandmother” in Latin. I wanted to give her credit because she was proud of me and supported me throughout my career as a scientist,” the researcher explained.
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Ghost sharks are cartilaginous fish that belong to the order of the oldest living fish – chimeras. They are considered distant relatives of sharks and rays. Chimeras love the dark and feed on bottom animals – crustaceans, mollusks and worms.
Earlier, scientists discovered in the depths of the Andaman Sea off the coast of Thailand a new species of ghost sharks with a huge head, giant flickering eyes and feathered fins. The mysterious deep-sea predator was named Chimaera supapae in honor of the scientist Supap Monkolprasit, who devoted her life to the study of cartilaginous fish.
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