More than 300 species of sharks and rays now threatened with extinction panda.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from panda.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Staff file photo/Former City Councilor Bill Fonvielle
NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research/Courtesy photo/This chimaera or ghost shark, at roughly 20 inches, was the largest and darkest seen during the 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration. The dots on its head are ampullae of Lorenzini that can detect minute electrical signals generated by their prey.
As we write this on Friday, we re kind of cold and a little cranky. So, what do you say we go right to the items? The Electoral College votes yes.
Ghost sharks. Something else to fear
There was a very interesting story in the New York Times last week about ghost sharks. Or perhaps it was a very terrifying story. Hard to know which way to go on this one.
11% of Indian sharks, rays and chimaeras face high risk of extinction, finds IUCN assessment
Updated:
Updated:
December 18, 2020 19:23 IST
Significant change recorded since the 2014 assessment of this group of marine fishes, note ZSI experts
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This image provided by NOAA shows a deep-sea Chimaera. File
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Significant change recorded since the 2014 assessment of this group of marine fishes, note ZSI experts
A recent assessment of sharks, rays and chimaeras by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Shark Specialist Group in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) has revealed that of the 170 species found across the oceans of the country, 19 (about 11%) are facing high risk of extinction.
Posted December 18, 2020 2:34 a.m. EST
By Annie Roth, New York Times
Take one look at a ghost shark and you may say, “What’s up with that weird-looking fish?”
Over the past few decades, scientists learned that these cartilaginous fishes, also known as ratfish or Chimaeras, have been around for hundreds of millions of years and that they have venomous spines in front of their dorsal fins and “fly” through the water by flapping their pectoral fins. They even learned that most male ghost sharks have a retractable sex organ on their foreheads that resembles a medieval mace.
However, much remains to be learned about these strange creatures. Basic biological information, like how long they live and how often they reproduce, is lacking for most of the 52 known species. The absence of this key information makes it difficult for scientists to manage and monitor ghost shark populations, even as evidence mounts that some species may be at risk of extinc
Will Ghost Sharks Vanish Before Scientists Can Study Them?
Much remains to be learned about the cartilaginous, little understood fishes that inhabit the deep-sea.
A giant black ghost shark on the seafloor, at a depth of about 6,500 feet.Credit.Te Papa/Massey University
By Annie Roth
Dec. 17, 2020
Take one look at a ghost shark and you may say, “What’s up with that weird-looking fish?”
Over the past few decades, scientists learned that these cartilaginous fishes, also known as ratfish or Chimaeras, have been around for hundreds of millions of years, and that they have venomous spines in front of their dorsal fins and “fly” through the water by flapping their pectoral fins. They even learned that most male ghost sharks have a retractable sex organ on their foreheads that resembles a medieval mace.