Pocket-sized American pocket shark a new and glowing species

[Judi Lynn]

19:45, Jul 20 2019



MARK GRACE
A pocket-sized pocket shark recently found in the Gulf of Mexico has turned out to be a new species.


A pocket-sized pocket shark found in the Gulf of Mexico has turned out to be a new species.

And the mysterious pouches that it's named for, up near its front fins, squirt little glowing clouds into the ocean, scientists said.

Researchers have named the species the American pocket shark, or Mollisquama mississippiensis.

Like the only other pocket shark known to science – a 400-millimetre adult female found in the Pacific Ocean off Peru – this 142mm newborn male fished out of the Gulf has a pouch, or glands, next to each front fin.

The muscular glands are lined with pigment-covered fluorescent projections, indicating they squirt luminous liquid, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ichthyologist Mark Grace and his collaborators wrote in the journal Zootaxa. The shark also has clusters of light-emitting cells dotted on its belly.

More:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/americas/114390254/pocketsized-american-pocket-shark-a-new-and-glowing-species

[safeinOhio]

1. Going to need

a smaller boat.

[lunatica]

2. LOL!

Cue tinker bell music!

[marble falls]

3. Too bad they have to kill them to describe them. I hope they don't find ...

a new species of human.

[LudwigPastorius]

4. I can live in a world with a pocket shark.

(After all, the Popeil Pocket Fisherman is available to deal with that threat.)

As long as it’s not a Land Shark. I order way too many home delivery meals to feel safe if that were the case.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Researchers Discover Glow-in-the-Dark Shark in Gulf Of Mexico

By Nicole Via y Rada
Published 2 hours ago


Florida beaches may have another type of visitor soon – and this one glows in the dark.

A new shark species, named the American Pocket Shark, was discovered in the Gulf of Mexico by a team of researchers from the University of Florida, Tulane University and the NOAA.

At just 5.5 inches, the American Pocket Shark is named for its two small pockets that hold a secret superpower – they can glow in the dark.

The luminous fluid released by the shark is used to attract prey, while the ‘tiny predator’ remains undetectable below its glow.

More:
https://www.necn.com/news/national-international/Researchers-Discover-Glow-in-the-Dark-Shark-in-Gulf-Of-Mexico-513036111.html