Top 10 Deep Sea Sharks
There is no other predatory creature like sharks in the sea. Do you know that there are more than 470 species of Sharks? There are sharks ranging from small to mega-size. Some of these Sharks are such that they live in such depths of the sea that they have been seen very rarely and therefore the research done on them is very limited.
So let’s meet 10 deep sea sharks that live in the dark world deep in the ocean and only lucky researchers and divers get to see them.
Deep Sea Sharks List
1. Portuguese Dogfish
Now meet the shark named Portuguese dogfish, which is considered to be the deepest shark in the ocean. It lives at a depth of 12,057 feet. It is believed that they do not have to compete with other sharks for hunting, so they live in such great depth.
The Portuguese dogfish is a deep sea shark species found in almost all oceans. But due to living in such depth, they have been seen very few times. Their length has been measured up to 3 feet. But scientists believe that it can grow up to 5.2 feet. These sharks with dark brown color are said to be “sleeper shark” because they are lethargic. But scientists believe that it is a very active and cunning hunter.
The Portuguese Dogfish can live up to 70 years of age. If we talk about their food, then these other small fish prey on sharks and invertebrates.
2. Megamouth Shark
Now let’s meet the megamouth shark which holds the record of having the largest jaw in the shark species. Its jaw can extend up to 4 feet. Due to this, it is also called a “big mouth shark”. The megamouth shark lives in the ocean at a depth of 3,280 feet and has been seen very rarely.
It is said that only 100 megamouth sharks have been sighted since 1976. If we talk about their stature, then it ranges from 16 to 18 feet and weighs more than (2645lbs) 1200 kg. Their color is brownish black on the upper back and white on the belly below.
Like most sharks, it also remains in depth and darkness during the day and comes to the upper surface of the sea at night to hunt. One funny thing about them is that they were discovered accidentally. When she got trapped in a Japanese fisherman’s net.
3. Basking Shark
The basking shark is the second largest shark in the ocean after the whale shark. The average length of basking sharks is 20 to 26 feet and its weight is about (8818lbs) 4 tons. According to researchers, it can swim up to a depth of 5,000 feet in the ocean.
Although they have five gills like other sharks, their jaws can open up to 3 feet. With such a big mouth, it can swallow humans too. But according to scientists, it is friendly with humans and is not aggressive at all.
If he has such a big body, it is obvious that his hunger would also be big. The basking shark keeps its mouth open all the time so that it can eat every creature that comes it’s way. It mostly likes to live in groups and hence it swims in flocks.
4. Ninja Lanternshark
Now meet the Ninja lanternshark which is the newest discovered species of shark, it was discovered in 2010. It is also probably the smallest shark in the deep sea. Its length is a maximum of up to 20 inches. In ninja lanternsharks, the male shark is smaller in length than the female shark. It has been found at a depth of 2,740 to 4,735 feet.
Ninja Lanternshark preys mostly on small prawns and crabs. The brightness of these sharks is its specialty. Its brightness attracts its prey towards itself, due to which it easily hunts them.
The scientific name of Ninja Lanternshark is (Etmopterus benchleyi). Which is named after Peter Benchley, the author of the famous film Jaws made on sharks. Due to being a new species, scientists have not been able to get much data about them yet.
5. Greenland Shark
Our next deep ocean sharks is the Greenland shark. This shark is also called a “boreal shark”. They are very large in size, whose length is 16 feet to 21 feet. You will be surprised to know that it lives for 250 to 500 years, which makes it the longest living shark species.
According to researchers, the Greenland shark is found at a depth of 7,200 feet. It is said about them that this is a migratory shark, which comes to the shallow water of the ocean in winter and goes back to the bottom in summer. These sharks with so many incredible qualities have been seen mostly in the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Greenland and Iceland.
These other fish prey on squids, seals, and walruses. Another amazing thing about this Greenland shark is that there is a small insect-like creature stuck on the cornea in its eyes, which spends its life here. This worm makes them weak due to which they swim very slowly. That’s why they are also called sleeper sharks.
6. Goblin Shark
This deep-sea monster like shark is called the goblin shark. Goblin means devil or ghost and probably because of the abnormal look of this shark, it has been given this name. It is not at all like other sharks because its nose is long and flat and its jaws are extended forward which helps it to catch prey.
If we talk about the length, then the goblin shark is 10 to 13 feet long. It lives in a depth of 900 feet to 3,150 feet. However, according to researchers, this shark can swim up to a depth of 4,300 feet. Govin sharks are very slow swimmers and are adept at hunting from ambush. These have also been put in the category of Living Fossil.
Although the age of goblin sharks is 60 years, the special thing about them is that as their age increases, their length decreases and their color starts to fade. This shark with strange qualities has been seen very few times.
7. Kitefin Shark
Now let’s meet a bright shark called a kitefin shark. Mostly it is found in the sea at a depth of 660 feet to 2000 feet. Although some sharks of this species have also been seen at a depth of 5,900 feet. They have an average length of 4 feet, but despite being small in size, it is considered a dangerous predator and the reason for this is their strong jaws and large sharp teeth.
The kitefin shark preys on catsharks, along with other fish, squid, and octopus. The kitefin shark mostly prefers to live in tropical and warm temperature waters. It is a species found in the western North Atlantic Ocean, eastern Atlantic, western Indian Ocean, western Pacific Ocean, and central Pacific Ocean.
Because of their small size and living in deep water, they are not a threat to humans. But in the eastern Atlantic, humans hunt kitefin sharks for their meat and liver oil.
8. Swell Shark
Now let’s go ahead and meet the swell shark which is from the family of catsharks and lives in North America, South America, and the East Pacific Ocean. It is smaller in size than other shark species. Their length is maximum up to 43 inches and their weight ranges from 5 to 10 kg.
Swell shark lives hiding under stones at a depth of 1500 feet of the sea and hunts small fish. There is a quality in them which is no less than magic. She adopts a unique technique for her self-defense. As soon as the danger is felt, the swell shark pulls a lot of water inside by pressing its tail in the mouth. When a lot of water is drawn in, their stomach swells like a balloon and it doubles in size so that the predator cannot recognize it.
Due to the quality of this shark, it has been named the swell shark. It remains lethargic throughout the day and swims very slowly at night as well. as if out for a night walk.
9. The Frilled Shark
This is a frilled shark that looks like it is a species of eel. The body of the frilled shark is long like a snake. Because of its fringe-like gills, this shark was named a frilled shark. This deepwater sharks is a species found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Their gills are red in color which makes them scary to look at.
The frilled shark is about 6.6 feet long and lives at a depth of 3,900 feet in the ocean. It hunts sea creatures like fish, squid, and octopus with its small but very sharp teeth. One interesting thing about them is that they are counted among living fossils.
After the formation of a species on the earth, there are changes in the anatomy of that species with time and conditions, but living fossils are those in which there has been no change since the time of formation. Scientists proved them to be living fossils from the remains of frilled sharks found in the sea. Well, the frilled shark is few in number.
10. Bluntnose Sixgill Shark
It is common for fish to have gills and most fish have 5 gills. But Bluntnose Shark is such a unique fish that has 6 gills on both sides of its wide head, due to which it is also called the “sixgill shark”. According to scientists, their having 6 gills makes them an ancient shark species, which has probably been going on since the era of dinosaurs.
The nose of this shark is long and round in shape. Because of this, they have been named Bluntnose. It lives in the sea at a depth of 590 to 3600 feet and in length, it ranges from 15.7 feet to 23 feet. This is one of those big sharks whose weight is in tons., it easily preys on other fish with its sharp and strong teeth.
It is said that they like variety in food and hence sometimes this shark also comes to the upper surface of the sea at night to find different creatures. If you want to meet the Bluntnose Sixgill Shark, you will have to have diving adventures in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.
So guys these were the 10 deep sea sharks. You have seen how many small to big sharks live in the deep sea world. Which one of these sharks impressed you the most, do let us know in the comment box.
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