Spookfish Ghost Shark Discovered in the Deep Ocean Just in Time for the Countdown to Halloween

Mar. 15, 2025

The newly discovered spiky-nosed spookfish, a new species of ghost shark.Photo:HANDOUT/National Institute Of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd /AFP via Getty Images

HANDOUT/National Institute Of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd /AFP via Getty Images

Scientists have uncovered a new species of ghost shark living deep in the Pacific Ocean.

TheNational Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research(NIWA) announced in a news release on Tuesday, Sept. 24, that scientists discovered the spiky-nosed spookfish, a member of the ghost shark species, in the ocean waters near Australia and New Zealand.

According to the NIWA, the species was “previously thought to be part of a single globally distributed species;” however, research proved the fish is “genetically and morphologically different from its cousins.”

Ghost sharks are a group of cartilaginous fish related to sharks and rays. They typically have smooth, scale-free skin and beak-like teeth and are also called rabbitfish, elephantfish, and ratfish.

NIWA Fisheries scientist Dr. Brit Finucci named the fish “Harriotta avia” after her grandmother and described the aquatic creature as “unique” with an “elongated, narrow” snout, “slender trunk, and “large eyes,” per the release.

Finnucci also shared that the newfound species is difficult to study due to its remote habitat.

“Ghost sharks like this one are largely confined to the ocean floor, living in depths of up to 2,600m,” she explained. “Their habitat makes them hard to study and monitor, meaning we don’t know a lot about their biology or threat status, but it makes discoveries like this even more exciting.”

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Finucci toldNBC News, “Ghost sharks always surprise me! It just goes to show how little we know about our oceans, particularly the deep sea.” She also noted that “there’s still a lot to learn about ghost sharks” following the latest underwater species discovery.

“We are still describing new species on a regular basis, and sometimes these discoveries have been right under our noses the whole time,” she added.

source: people.com