Photo: J Mallefet | UC Louvain | FNRS
Scientists have recently discovered three species of glowing sharks in the depths of the ocean near New Zealand. All three sharks -- the kitefin, the blackbelly lanternshark and the southern lanternshark -- were discovered in January 2020, during fishing surveys of the ocean bottom. The kitefin shark can reach nearly six feet long, and researchers say it's the largest known species of luminous vertebrate on Earth. While scientists aren't fully sure how the ability to glow serves the sharks, they speculate that the glowing bellies could make them harder to see from below -- since the ocean surface is a faintly luminous backdrop when viewed from below. Another possibility is that the glow can help illuminate prey on the seafloor, The Guardian reported. "We hope by highlighting something new in the deep sea of New Zealand -- glowing sharks -- that maybe people will start thinking we should protect this environment before destroying it," Université Catholique de Louvainthe marine biologist Jérôme Mallefet, the study's lead author, told Mongabay.
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