Nature & Environment

Mystery surrounds 'nightmare shark' caught in Australia

By T.K. Randall
September 25, 2022

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) Sporting bulging green eyes and a set of teeth that look like they belong in the mouth of something out of a horror movie, this unusual looking shark was recently caught off the coast of New South Wales at a depth of around 2,130 ft by an angler who goes by the name 'Trapman Bermagui' on social media.

After posting an image of the catch on Facebook, he was quickly inundated with comments from other users who were keen to figure out exactly what species the unusual shark could possibly be.

Some joked that the shark appeared to be wearing 'false teeth', while many others commented on its bizarre and disturbing appearance, labeling it "the stuff of nightmares".As for the species, many suggested that it could be a cookiecutter shark, goblin shark or lantern shark, but Bermagui disagreed, instead maintaining that it was most likely a rough skin shark, otherwise known as an 'endeavor dogfish' depending on which market it is being sold at.

Experts, meanwhile, seemed to disagree with this identification, with some suggesting that it could be a deepwater kitefin shark and others even putting forward the possibility that it could be a whole new species entirely.

Whatever the case, you certainly wouldn't want to come face-to-face with it while swimming...



Source: Science Alert

Tags: Shark