![]() ![]() Also in 2021, researchers discovered the 6-foot (1.5 m) kitefin shark ( Dalatias licha), the largest glow-in-the dark shark - in fact, the largest glowing vertebrate - ever found, as reported in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. In 2021, the so-called Godzilla shark - an ancient, 6.7-foot-long (2 m) beast discovered in 2013 and so nicknamed because of its reptilian spines - got a new name: Hoffman's dragon shark ( Dracopristis hoffmanorum). ![]() Scientists uncover newfound species yearly, according to the World Wildlife Fund. One deep-sea goblin shark found by the Australian Museum in 2015 sported a bright pink hue, while carpet sharks get their name from ornate skin patterns, according to the Smithsonian. Those little lantern sharks dress in a conservative dark brown but glam things up with light-emitting organs, according to the Smithsonian. The odd-looking goblin shark makes a distinct impression with its flabby body and shovel-like snout set above a retractable mouth, according to the Australian Museum. Shark species also vary widely in shape, from the built-for-speed torpedo design of great whites to the long, tooth-lined snouts of saw sharks. (Image credit: Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace) Megalodon had knife-like teeth that were ideas for slicing into fleshy prey. But rest assured: Scientists insist there's no evidence for that. Megalodon has also gotten the pop culture treatment, starring in a fake documentary that suggested the behemoth fish survived today. Megalodon, which swam the ancient seas from about 23 million to 4 million years ago, grew up to 65 feet (20 m) long, according to 2021 re-estimates based on the creature's teeth published in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica. Prehistory's biggest shark dwarfed even Steven Spielberg's killer fish. Using computer modeling techniques, a 2008 study in the Journal of Zoology estimated that great whites exert a bite force of up to 2 tons (1.8 metric tons), or more than three times that of a large African lion ( Panthera leo leo). The largest great white ever, nicknamed Deep Blue, spanned 20 feet, Live Science previously reported. You likely know the largest predatory fish, great whites, from their extensive film credits, most prominently 1975's "Jaws." Female great whites grow bigger, at an average length of 15 to 16 feet (4.6 to 4.9 m), while males reach 11 to 13 feet (3.4 to 4 m). The "gentle giant" whale shark ( Rhincodon typus) can stretch to nearly 40 feet (12 meters) long, eclipsing a full-size school bus, the World Wildlife Fund says. Sharks also hold the titles of both largest fish and largest predatory fish. You could fit the smallest living shark in your pocket the dwarf lantern shark ( Etmopterus perryi) spans just 3 inches (8 centimeters), according to the Smithsonian. Sharks have evolved into roughly 500 species alive today, according to the Shark Foundation, and they range widely in size, shape and even color. Over those eons, sharks survived "the big five mass extinctions." They even enjoyed a "Golden Age" beginning around 360 million years ago, when a tremendous global die-off claimed many fish, leaving sharks to dominate - and proliferate into new species, according to London's Natural History Museum. Mallefet estimates more than 10 percent of the sharks out of 540 shark species are able to produce light.That timeline means sharks prowled the primordial seas around 200 million years before the first dinosaurs, even predating the first forests, which didn't appear until 385 million years ago, Live Science previously reported. “It makes us fall asleep,” Mallefet said, “but it’s lighting up the shark.” Mallefet confirmed to The New York Times that the sharks don’t use their nervous system to light up, in contrast with other bioluminescent animals. The sharks could be exposed to predators since they appear backlit from below to the predators in the mesopelagic zone. But their bioluminescence also leaves a danger. From these angles, their blue-green stripes would blend into the blue sea and sky this phenomenon is known as counterillumination. Since the bioluminescent patterns are found only on their bellies and undersides, the sharks are virtually invisible to predators from certain angles. Scientists suspect the sharks glow to camouflage themselves. Animals in the mesopelagic zone glow to attract a mate, lure prey, camouflage or to form schools. Scientists are still unsure why exactly the sharks glow. ![]()
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