Researchers have discovered a previously unknown species of small shark off the west coast of Australia. Australian science agency CSIRO said on Wednesday that the animal is a striped horn shark, which has not yet been described by science. A CSIRO spokesman said the specimen was spotted and brought on board by the research vessel Investigator at the Gascoyne Marine Park, west of the Cape Range peninsula, on 23 November.
CSIRO shark expert Will White spoke of “one of the most exciting discoveries” of the entire research journey. The fascinating little horn shark is unique to Australia. The species has not yet been described and named. “The sample we collect will be incredibly important to science,” White said. These fish of the bullhead shark family are usually found in shallow water. But the new species lives at depths greater than 150 metres, “and we know nothing about its behavior,” says White.
The first known horn sharks are up to 120 cm long. They spend most of the day hiding among rocks and algae on the ocean floor and come out at night to feed. “Australia has a really huge marine area that is home to some of the greatest biodiversity on the planet,” White said. “But we still know very little about what lives beneath the waves.”
