Scientists discovered this newly-hatched ghost shark at a depth of .7 miles near the South Island of New Zealand. Ghost sharks aren't actually sharks but rather chimaeras with mostly cartilage skeletons. As they live at great depths, ghost sharks are quite elusive and juveniles are exceedingly rare to see. From BBC News:
The scientists from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research [NIWA] believe the baby shark had recently hatched as its belly was still full of egg yolk.
The embryos of ghost sharks develop in egg capsules laid on the sea floor, and they feed off a yolk until they are ready to hatch.
[NIWA scientist Brit] Finucci said young ghost sharks can exhibit different characteristics from their adult versions, which makes the discovery more significant.
"Juveniles can live in very different habitats, … they can have different diets, they can even look very different from adults.
"Coming across the juvenile helps us better understand the biology and some of the ecology of the species," she said.
