We are all accustomed to the fact that the shark is a huge marine predator, able to deal with even larger prey. Perhaps the recently discovered subspecies of "pocket" sharks will force you to change your attitude towards these creatures.
To begin with, we note that the body length of an adult dwarf shark is as much as … 14 centimeters. But the strangeness does not end there: this baby hides special "pockets" full of glowing bioluminescent liquid behind the pectoral fins. In addition, she, like most deep-sea creatures, has luminiferous organs - photophores, located throughout the body. Thanks to them, the little shark literally glows in the dark!
Mollisquama mississippiensis was discovered in the central Gulf of Mexico in February 2010. It was recently finally classified as a new species, making it one of only two pocket sharks ever found by humans. Mark Grace, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), notes that both individuals are different species, and they were caught in different parts of the oceans. The first pocket shark (Mollisquama parini) was found off the coast of Chile in the Nazca Ridge in 1979 and described in 1984.
These crumbs live at a depth of 330 meters, which means catching them is not an easy task, even if experienced biologists are involved. “The fact that over the years we have caught only one individual of each species indicates one simple truth: even such a famous place as the Gulf of Mexico is fraught with many secrets - and most of them are hidden in the depths,” explained Henry Barth, director of the Tulane Biodiversity Research Institute.
Perhaps in the future, researchers will be able to get other representatives of these rare species. Who knows, maybe in the near future, aquarists and owners of large aquariums will be able to delight visitors with amazing tiny sharks that can glow in the dark?