- Scientists captured the first video of a shark in Antarctic waters at 490 meters depth
- The shark measured about three to four meters long and swam near South Shetland Islands
- Water temperature at the depth was just above freezing, around 1.27 degrees Celsius
In a rare discovery, scientists have captured the first-ever video evidence of a shark swimming deep inside the Antarctic waters, previously considered too frigid for them to survive. The unexpected encounter was recorded last month using a remotely operated camera by the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre, which investigates life in the deepest parts of the world's oceans.
Positioned off the South Shetland Islands near the Antarctic Peninsula, the camera captured the shark, estimated to be three to four meters long, appearing at a depth of about 490 meters, where water temperatures hover just above freezing at 1.27 degrees Celsius, according to a report in The Associated Press.
The clip shows the shark roaming unperturbed while a skate -- a shark relative that looks like a stingray, lying motionless on the seabed.
"We went down there not expecting to see sharks because there's a general rule of thumb that you don't get sharks in Antarctica. And it's not even a little one either. It's a hunk of a shark. These things are tanks," said Alan Jamieson, founding director of the research centre, adding that he could find no prior record of another shark found in the Antarctic Ocean.
Jamieson said he expects to find other Antarctic sharks at these depths, scavenging on the dead remains of whales, giant squids, and other deep-sea marine life creatures.
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'Camera In Right Place'
Marine biologist Peter Kyne of Charles Darwin University, who was not involved in the research, described the sighting as "quite significant". He suggested sleeper sharks may have lived in the region for years without detection.
"This is great. The shark was in the right place, the camera was in the right place and they got this great footage. It's quite significant," Kyne said.
As per the scientists, the shark appeared to remain near 500 meters depth, likely the warmest available water layer, where the creatures can survive.
