Monstrous Shark with Goblin-Like Jaws Found in the Deep Sea

A strange shark was found recently by scientists in the deep sea off the coast of Taiwan. The scientists pulled four of the viper dogfish sharks known as Trigonognathus kabeyai during a fish survey. Three out of the four died instantly after capture, but one survived for about 24 hours after which it died too.

(Photo : George Desipris)

Description of The Viper Dog Fish Sharks (Trigonognathus kabeyai)

Trigonognathus kabeyai is a strange-looking shark with a distinctive glowing belly, creepy, glass-like eyes, ink-black with gnarly, needle-like teeth and a protruding jaw.

The tiny shark has pointed teeth and a glowing underside, it also has slender canine-like teeth that are well spaced. This feature differentiates it from other sharks that have teeth designed to cut and shred. The tiny shark measures between 7 to 21 inches and is benthopelagic, meaning it lives close to the bottom or mid-depths of the ocean. It feeds mainly on bony fish and crustaceans as revealed by a Journal of Ichthyologic Research in a 2003 study.

There have been few sightings of the species so far, but not much information is available about the rare shark. The International Union for Conservation doesn't classify them as endangered either, rather they are listed under the "data-deficient" section.

READ MORE - Featured Species: Viper Dog-Fish

(Photo : Red Brick )

History

Trigonognathus kabeyai wasn't known until 1986 when it was first captured. The researchers initially discovered two at the time, both fished out from the waters of Japan. Since then, elusive shark has only been described by some fishy dossiers.

In the beginning, scientists gave the small shark the name "Trigonognathus". According to the 1990 Japanese Journal of Ichthyology, the name was as a result of the sharks' distinctive triangular jaw shape.

The name was later changed to Trigonognathus Kabaye in honor of Hiromichi Kabeya who was the captain of the bottom trawler used to cast the nets that caught the first species of the strange shark in 1986.

Trigonognathus kabeyai has also been spotted off the coasts of Japan, Taiwan, and Hawaii.

Taiwan News affirmed that foreign media and the locals are astonished by this latest discovery.

According to the journal PLOS ONE, the alien fish might have the ability to move its jaw forwards when it hunts for food, but this has not yet been observed. The fish could protrude its special jaws forward to reach out to crustacean fish and other seafood just like its counterpart Mitsukurina Owston- the deep-sea goblin shark. Another study in 1990 found that the shark has light-producing organs called photophores which is a line found on the underside of its trunk and head.

The Trigonognathus kabeyai is rarely the only shark that has a glowing body. It is a member of the lantern shark family famous for these peculiar capabilities. Other members of the lantern shark family include the ninja sharks, also known as Etmopterus Benchley and Etmopterus lailae.

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