The Deep Sea Ghost Shark: The Living Fossil

selim12 December 22, 2023 0 Comments

Written And Reviewed by:

Deepseawonders

Chimaeras(the deep sea ghost shark) are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes.

The Unusual Chimaera family is 400 million years old. This ghost shark is easily recognizable by its large high eyes.

Scientific Name

Habitat

Diet

Chimaeriformes

southwestern Pacific

crustaceans

Animal Type

Chimaeras

Size

125 cm

Depth

200 meters to up to 2600 meters,

Table of Contents

The First Discovery:

The chimaera species was first discovered in the 1830s in South Africa. It was a skull dating back to 280 million years ago meaning this shark is one of the oldest sharks on the ocean.

Where is The Deep Sea Ghost Shark Found?

They are found in the southwestern Pacific Ocean along the temperate coasts of southern Australia and New Zealand. Found at depths starting from 200 meters to up to 2600 meters(in the bathypelagic zone), they have a migration habit in the spring to mate. They live almost in all the world’s oceans except the Arctic and Antarctic oceans.

Appearance And Size Of The Ghost Shark:

these sharks have a specific structure at the end of their mouth. They also have a dangerous spine ahead of the dorsal fin used as a weapon against threats. They have a silvery white color on the body with dark markings on the eyes. They have three pairs of hypermineralized tooth plates with sharp teeth in the upper jaw. chimera skeletons are composed of cartilage to support high water pressure(not bones). They have large to absorb more light.

The growth of teeth is continuous with no replacement. The total length of the ghost shark is 125 cm with a weight of 3-4 kg with males reaching maturity at the age of 2-3 years!

The Deep Sea Ghost Shark Diet:

They eat crustaceans, and more specifically, they include ophiurans and mollusks.

LifeSpan And Behaviour:

They have sexual appendages known as tentacula to assist mating. They have a common parasite called monogenean Callorhynchicola. Chimaeras have a venomous spine on the front edge of the dorsal fin. The highly sensitive snout is used to locate food near water columns and rocks. It even can use electroreception. They can live up to 15 years!

Reproduction And Behaviour Of The Deep Sea Ghost Shark:

They reproduce through internal fertilization like sharks with males employing claspers and females laying eggs in spring in leathery egg cases.

The egg cases measure up to 25 cm in length and 10 cm in width and are golden yellow in color. The embryos will stay to feed in egg cases during the next eight months. The eggs will change color from golden yellow to brown and black before hatching!

Parasites Of The Ghost Shark:

Like other deep sea fish, they have parasites such as Chimaericola leptogaster. They can grow to 50mm.

Conservation Status:

These creatures are threatened by overfishing and habitat destruction.8% of the species are threatened.

Cool Facts:

1-They are not really among sharks.

2-Humans didn’t know they existed until 2002.

3-They’re native to the southeastern Pacific.

4-They are among the few species to be kept in public aquaria.

What a truly remarkable creature, it’s a living fossil of the deep with a modern specific diet, humans should also be careful when they catch this fish!

How Deep Is The Ghost Shark?

They can be found in all of the world’s oceans, except the Arctic and the Antarctic. Most inhabit the deep sea, although a handful of species inhabit shallow coastal waters.

Is a ghost shark a real shark?

Yes, ghost sharks are real sharks. They belong to the subclass Holocephali, which is a group of cartilaginous fishes that includes chimeras and ratfishes.

Are ghost sharks going extinct?

According to a recent study published in the journal Fish and Fisheries, 16 out of 52 confirmed ghost shark species are at risk of extinction. Additionally, 15 percent of ghost shark species are so understudied that their extinction risk is unknown.