Scientists found a new "ghost shark" in the Andaman Sea off Thailand with a huge head, enormous, iridescent eyes, and feathery fins.
The mysterious deep-sea species, Chimaera supapae, is a cartilaginous Chimaeriform fish. The ancient fish are distant ancestors of sharks and rays.
Scientists reported the discovery in Raffles Bulletin of Zoology on March 6.'Ghost shark' with huge head and iridescent eyes found off Thailand
Deep water chimaeras live on continental slopes and ocean ridges.
These ghostly creatures feed on crustaceans, mollusks, and worms in gloomy waters below 1,640 feet (500 meters).
"There were only 53 known species of chimaera in the world; this makes 54," he stated. These deep-sea creatures are hard to find, especially in the Andaman Sea, where some depths exceed 14,500 feet.
Chimaera are called ghost sharks and ratfish because of their large, reflecting eyes and tapering body. Some species reach 6.6 feet (2 m).
The dead young male was found during a 2018 deep-sea survey. Scientists trawled the Andaman Sea bottom between 2,533 and 2543 feet (772 to 775 m) deep to retrieve it. This new species was identified by its "massive head with short snout" and huge, oval eyes that are nearly 32% of its head length.