For the first time in history, researchers dived into great depths to capture a sixgill shark in its natural habitat, a species that has hardly changed since the days of the dinosaurs.
Such a perfect and creepy predator lives in the gloomy depths that over the past 200 million years it has practically not changed. Scientists call it the sixgill shark, or simply the sixgill (Hexanchus griseus). Like many other deep-sea creatures, the way of life of this elusive creature has long remained a mystery to science.
In the past, researchers have been able to catch several individuals of the Hexgill and tag them so they can observe them. However, under normal conditions, they prefer to live at a depth of 2500 meters, climbing up only under cover of night. Thus, forcible extraction from the water once again disorients the shark, and it was hardly possible to get an idea of how a deep predator actually lives with the help of artificial observation. So the team decided to do something that no one else had done before: tag the shark in its natural habitat.
These sharks are very different from their more advanced relatives. Surprisingly, six gills are more primitive than five, and six gills inherited from their distant ancestors. Judging by the fossils, sharks have not changed much since then. An adult sixgill grows up to 8 meters in length and is distinguished by green, phosphorescent eyes and a broad body. They live in temperate and tropical latitudes, and in addition to active hunting, sometimes they do not mind disdaining the remains that fall to the bottom from the upper layers of the water. The serrated shape of their teeth is great for tearing pieces of rotten meat from corpses.
It sounds disgusting, but in fact, with this rhythm of life, some sharks live up to 80 years. After several unsuccessful dives and a series of minor troubles, the researchers finally managed to capture a large male on the camera - he became the main character of the video.
Promotional video:
Vasily Makarov