Giant glow-in-the-dark shark using bioluminescence as a camouflage to attack prey is found living almost 1000 feet below the surface off the coast of New Zealand.
- A kite fin shark containing bioluminescence has been spotted in New Zealand
- This is the first time the trait has been observed in the shark species.
- It lives deep below sea level where light cannot reach
- Experts believe it uses the ability to hide from its prey so it can attack
- They also found a glowing black-bellied lantern shark and southern lantern shark
There are a number of deep-sea creatures glowing-in-the-dark, but a team studying marine life has the first ‘giant bright shark’.
Researchers saw the kitefun shark off the east coast of New Zealand during a survey last year, along with two others – a black-bellied lantern shark and southern lantern shark, which also have bioluminescence.
The kitefin shark can grow to almost six feet long and usually lives 984 feet below sea level, and is considered the largest glowing vertebrate.
All three of these unique creatures live in an area of the ocean called the ‘twilight zone’, which extends 3,200 feet below sea level and comes out of reach of light.
According to the study, there is no place for the sharks to hide because they live in a region without light, and use their glowing bodies as a camouflage – they look against the clear surface of the water.
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There are a number of deep-sea creatures glowing-in-the-dark, but a team studying marine life has the first ‘giant bright shark’. Researchers spotted the kitefun shark off the east coast of New Zealand during a survey last year
The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, was conducted by researchers from Belgium and New Zealand, who made the discoveries in January 2020 and published their findings on 26 February.
The species was collected from the Chatham Rise, which is an ocean floor east of New Zealand.
And although the species is well known in the scientific community, it is the first time that the phenomenon of bioluminescence has been noticed in them.
This phenomenon, also called ‘living light’ or ‘cold light’, is caused by a chemical reaction in a fish that contains the molecule luciferin which produces slightly when reacted with light.
The kitefin shark can grow to almost six feet long and usually lives 984 feet below sea level, and is considered the largest glowing vertebrate. Experts suggest that the shark uses the ability to camouflage when attacking prey
‘Bioluminescence has often been seen as a spectacular but unusual event at sea, but given the vastness of the deep sea and the presence of light organisms in this zone, it is now more and more obvious that the production of light on depth should play an important role in structuring the largest ecosystem on our planet, researchers shared in the published study.
‘This first experimental study of three light shark species from New Zealand provides insight into the diversity of shark bioluminescence and highlights the need for more research to understand these unusual deep-sea inhabitants: the glowing sharks.’
The study focused mainly on the kite fin shark, as researchers were surprised that the large vertebrate would have relief.
They found that the kitefin shark, although it has few predators, has one of the slowest sailing speed measurements in sharks, indicating that it “has a high burst ability.”
The team found two other sharks with bioluminescence ability – a black-bellied lantern shark (photo) and southern lantern shark
After analyzing the stomach contents of a sample, the team found that it usually feeds on smaller lantern sharks that have faster swimming speeds.
Because he knows this, the team hypothesis is that the kitefin shark uses the luminescence in the light of the ocean floor while searching and hunting for prey, along with the fact that it can attack in hiding mode.