New 'ghost shark' discovered in New Zealand waters

The Australasian Narrow-nosed Spookfish stands out for its long snout

Transcript

00:00New Zealand scientists have discovered a new species of

00:03ghost shark, a rare type of fish that is incredibly hard to spot because it lives

00:08at great depths in the Pacific Ocean. Also known as a spookfish or chimera,

00:13ghost sharks are closely related to sharks and rays.

00:17They do not have scales and their skeletons are made completely of cartilage.

00:22Dr Britt Finucci, one of the scientists who discovered the Australasian narrow-nosed

00:27spookfish, said the find was, exciting. Their habitat makes them hard to study and

00:32monitor, meaning we don't know a lot about their biology or threat status, she said.

00:38Dr Finucci and other researchers from New Zealand's National Institute of Water and

00:43Atmospheric Research, NIWA, found the creature in an area of ocean floor known as Chatham Rise,

00:48which lies to the east of New Zealand. Ghost sharks typically live at depths of up to 2,600

00:54metre. Dr Finucci said the species stood out for its unusually long snout, which can make up half

01:01its body length. She has given the new fish a scientific name with a personal twist, Heriota

01:07Avia. Avia means grandmother in Latin, I wanted to give this nod to her because she proudly

01:13supported me through my career as a scientist, Dr Finucci explained. Chimeras are also rather

01:20ancient relatives, the grandmas and grandpas, of fish and I thought the name was well suited.

01:26The spookfish was initially thought to be part of a species found around the world.

01:31However, research later revealed it was genetically different to its cousins

01:36and lived exclusively in Australian and New Zealand waters.