Researchers from the Catholic University of Leuven and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research in New Zealand discovered the shark species last year. They register that a study published last week.
Three shark species
These are three different sharks: the false dogfish, the black-bellied lantern shark and the southern lantern shark. These species were already known to scientists, but nobody knew that they give off light. “We were very surprised,” one of the researchers told the British newspaper The Guardian. “Why? Why do these sharks glow?”
–
–
The luminescent false dogfish, which can grow up to three meters long, is of particular interest to the researchers. This shark has no natural predators, so its glow-in-the-dark property cannot be used to avert attacks. The shark may be using the light to find prey.
Deep ocean
The three shark species live in the deep ocean, at depths between 200 and 1000 meters. That area is also called the twilight zone. The researchers suspect that the two smaller shark species glow to protect themselves against attacks from the deep. They have nowhere else to hide in the ocean.
It is not the first time that luminous animals have been discovered. Researchers previously encountered a shark in the Gulf of Mexico that gave light. That animal was only 14 centimeters in size, yet scientists also found that find very special.
–
–
