Marine biologists have captured footage of an enormous sixgill shark swimming off the coast of Eire – marking the primary time it has been filmed in shallow European waters.
The 13-foot-long ‘prehistoric wanting’ sixgill shark (Hexanchus griseus) was found off County Clare on the west coast, at a comparatively shallow depth of about 200 toes.
An apex predator, the sixgill shark sometimes inhabits darkish waters off the continental shelf, at depths of as much as 8,200 toes (2,500 metres).
It spends a lot of its time miles off-shore off the continental shelf and because of this has little interplay with people – making this a uncommon sighting.
The shark will get its title from the truth that is has six gill slits, in contrast to most different sharks which have solely 5.
Researchers would not disclose the precise location the place it was filmed – solely that it was seen off County Clare
The crew of biologists, from Trinity School Dublin, Queen’s College Belfast (QUB) and Belfast-based marine survey firm Fjordstrong, filmed the specimen utilizing modified ‘Auto-Launch Baited Underwater Video methods’ (ABUVs) – patented fish-identifying video recorders.
The underwater footage reveals the shark serenely swimming previous the lens in entrance of a bait bag – a wire mesh stuffed with chopped up and rancid mackerel.
‘This was the primary time sixgills have been filmed in shallow water in daylight in European waters, so far as we all know,’ Dr Patrick C. Collins, a lecturer in marine biology at QUB and member of the mission, instructed MailOnline.
‘They’re usually thought to be a deep-water species.
‘This highlights how Eire is a biodiversity hotspot for all sharks, skates and rays.’
The consultants used the bait bag to draw the shark, though it didn’t go for it and should have be lured by the lights, Dr Collins mentioned.
‘We noticed a whole lot of smaller fish (wrasse, conger eels, ling and catsharks) feeding on the bait which can even have attracted the shark,’ he mentioned. ‘It circled for a second after which disappeared.’
Dr Collins mentioned he’s not in a position to disclose the precise location the place it was filmed – solely that it was seen off of caught off County Clare.
The crew is barely starting to reply the thriller as to why sixgills are lurking off County Clare. They’ll increase their ocean exploration of this space over the subsequent 18 months.
Pictured, the shark swims previous the lens in entrance of a bait bag – a wire mesh stuffed with chopped up rancid mackerel
‘Sixgill sharks are an unimaginable species and this specific web site off the Irish shoreline is of specific curiosity as giant, females have usually been sighted in shallow waters,’ mentioned Haley Dolton, a biologist at Trinity School Dublin.
Sixgills on this location are principally females, suggesting it is a vital space for reproductive functions, Dolton added.
‘We’re going to want an even bigger boat to come back again right here subsequent yr and gather extra knowledge – we’ve solely simply scratched under the floor,’ mentioned Dr Collins.
Sixgill sharks can develop to fifteen toes in size and weigh 1,000lbs.
They feed on different fish together with sharks, skates and rays, bony fish, squid and crabs. They’ve additionally been recognized to scavenge on useless animals similar to seals.
Pictured is Luke Aston, a neighborhood fisherman (left), and Patrick Collins, an ecologist at Queen’s College Belfast, deploying the video digital camera and bait bag
They’ve razor-sharp tooth and resemble fossil sharks from the Triassic interval.
In line with the consultants, Eire has the richest range in Europe in relation to elasmobranchii – a sub-class of large fish.
Basking sharks are discovered usually cruising by, and it is usually one of many final refugia on earth for the critically endangered flapper skate – the most important skate on the planet.
‘It is like an aquatic Jurassic Park on the market,’ mentioned Dr Nick Payne, an assistant professor in Trinity’s College of Pure Sciences.
‘Eire is the gateway to the Atlantic and we’re more and more amazed at how essential Irish waters appear to be for these large shark and ray species. It means we in Eire have a accountability to take care of them.
Haley Dolton, a biologist and PhD pupil at Trinity School Dublin, pictured with a large fishing web
Sixgill sharks feed on different fish together with sharks, skates and rays, bony fish, squid and crabs (inventory picture)
‘Solely by working along with industrial and sports activities fishers, conservation our bodies and authorities businesses, citizen naturalists and the marine expertise business can we start to understand and perceive our nice marine range – a heritage of all of the folks of Eire.
‘With this information, we’re higher positioned to handle the 90 per cent of our state that at present lie underwater in order that future generations can gasp in awe on the giants in our midst.’
Earlier this yr, a bunch of British fishermen caught 14 sixgill sharks in a ‘secret location’ within the north Atlantic dubbed Jurassic Park.
Due to their weight, every shark took a median of 40 minutes to reel in to the Welsh-registered fishing boat.
All the sharks have been returned to the ocean secure and properly afterwards, however not earlier than the fishermen snapped images holding them.
