A scary new predator has been discovered on the ocean floors.
The scientific name of this shark is Etmopterus benchleyi, named after Jaws author Peter Benchley. Its common name is the “ninja lanternshark.”
But why does this shark hold a “ninja” prefix? Characteristics of this type of shark are that they are all-black, and they emit light from their organs. This dim lighting allows them to blend in with the dim lights of the ocean floor, making them essentially invisible to prey, making their appearance and stealthy behavior comparable to that of a ninja.
In terms of size, the shark can grow to 1 to 1.5 feet in length. The species was discovered in the Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Costa Rica and Panama, residing in depths ranging from 800 to 1400 meters, according to findings published in the Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation.
Tiny glowing shark discovered in the deep ocean. https://t.co/oEYsBtYLD9 pic.twitter.com/sNT1HkYnlw
— Rachel Brittin (@GreenBrittin) December 29, 2015
“It is probably living in an environment where it might, even though it is really small compared to other sharks, be one of the larger things there,” Victoria Elena Vasquez, a grad student at the Pacific Shark Research Center in California, told Deep Sea News.
The sharks were found in the deep ocean back in 2010 by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
“We’re not totally sure what this one is eating but other lantersharks are eating smaller fish, crustaceans,” she said. “It’s likely that it’s eating the same things or something similar.”
