Rarely-seen deep-sea sharks have been spotted mysteriously gathering off a seamount near Panama — the first time the species has ever been documented in the area.
In a study published March 8 in the Journal of Fish Biology, scientists confirmed the "atypical" gathering of 12 prickly sharks (Echinorhinus cookei) in the Cordillera de Coiba, Pacific Panama — a 26,000-square-mile (68,000 square kilometers) offshore marine protected area that includes nine mountain ranges, 24 seamounts and a 15,568-foot-deep (4,745 meters) trench.
The elusive prickly sharks, which have bodies covered by thorny, modified teeth, grow up to to 13 feet (4 m) long and may inhabit depths of up to 3,280 feet (1,000 m).
Source
In a study published March 8 in the Journal of Fish Biology, scientists confirmed the "atypical" gathering of 12 prickly sharks (Echinorhinus cookei) in the Cordillera de Coiba, Pacific Panama — a 26,000-square-mile (68,000 square kilometers) offshore marine protected area that includes nine mountain ranges, 24 seamounts and a 15,568-foot-deep (4,745 meters) trench.
The elusive prickly sharks, which have bodies covered by thorny, modified teeth, grow up to to 13 feet (4 m) long and may inhabit depths of up to 3,280 feet (1,000 m).
Source