Glow-in-the-dark shark, pearl white ghost crab discovered in Australia

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  Glow-in-the-dark shark, along with pearl white ghost crabs discovered in Australia  

The Australian government agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation （CSIRO）, has discovered a new unique species in the Australian deep sea.

The species were discovered as part of the deep sea\“s “big research mission“ by CSIRO that was initiated in 2022. Advertisement

So far, around 20 new species have been discovered since 2022, including the Carnarvon flapjack octopus, sea star sharks, and a scorpion fish.

However, the latest discovery of two new unique species has got scientists particularly excited.

These species include the glowing shark, which is labelled as “West Australian Lantern Shark,“ along with a sea through transparent ghost crab, also known as “Porcelain Crab,“ as a new addition to their discovery chart.

An ichthyologist （fish Scientist）, Dr Will White from CSIRO, explains that “Lantern sharks are bioluminescent, with light produced by photophores located on their belly and flanks, which is where their common name comes from.“

According to CSIRO researchers, the new species of Lantern shark is 40cm long, about the same length as a cat, and has large eyes with a glowing bioluminescent belly. It was found more than 600m below the ocean’s surface.

A semi-transparent crab, about the size of an almond and nearly 1.5cm in length, was found about 122m below sea level.

With reference to that, Dr Andrew Hosie, curator of aquatic zoology from the Western Australian Museum, said, “Porcelain crabs are known as filter feeders, feeding on plankton by using modified mouthparts with long hairs to sweep the water for small pieces of food rather than the typical crab method of grabbing and pinching food with their claws.”   CSIRO researches discovered 20 new species during deep sea exploration voyage at Australian Marine Park

According to deep-sea researchers, the Australian continent is one of the world\“s most significant biodiversity hotspots, home to more than a million different species, many of which are rarely found anywhere else on earth.

In late 2022, Australian scientists embarked on a deep-sea research voyage in the Gascoyne Marine Park, which is about 12 miles （20km） off the coast of Western Australia.

The team of researchers spent a month at the deep sea, exploring the Marine Park, which stretches from around 15 meters to more than 5000 meters deep, to hunt for never-before-seen species.

Since then, scientists have been examining hundreds of samples and research gathered on the mission to help identify and learn about new, scarce species of plants and animals.

But like much of the globe, large swathes of Australia\“s deep sea remain unexplored, and much of the animal and plant life beneath the sea is still unknown to science.

The latest discovery of deep-sea creatures has given scientists new hope to continue their research mission.

CSIRO researchers estimate that about 600 more deep-sea species are yet to be described and named, as it can take years for scientists to gather information to prove those creatures as unique and rare around the globe.