Unbelievable discoveries still happen…

Too often, when we hear of a species making the news, it is because its numbers are fading away. It is a tragic reality that, with the state of the world, and our environment, more and more species are struggling to adapt to the changes that humans bring to their ever disappearing habitat. This is why it is so exciting when we discover a new species.

In the Gulf of Mexico, researchers with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), discovered a single specimen in February of 2010. The Mollisquama mississippiensis, commonly known as the American Pocket Shark, is a brand new type of kitefin shark, only seen twice in our history.

I must admit that there is an underlying reason that I am so excited about this discovery. One of the characteristics discovered on this new species, that sets it apart form other members of Mollisquama, are photophores distributed found along the body. Photophores are organs that produce bioluminecent light in underwater animals. Many different species of fish and cnidarians, along with other animals, posses these luminary organs. The most common trait shared among these species is that they are often found in the benthopelagic zone of the ocean or deeper. Down at these depths the environment is very dark, even during the day, so these shiny traits are very useful to attract curious food or mates.

Ventral photophores, like the ones found on the Pocket Shark, are often used as an optical illusion. Predators swimming below the shark may look up, hunting for a delicious meal. The photophores along the ventral surface (abdomen), sparkle like the stars so they blend in with the sky above them. Nature has so many amazing tricks at its disposal!

If the photophores along the body were not cool enough, there are also pockets on each side, located near the gills, that produce a glowing fluid.

Another very interesting trait would be a difference in the number of vertebrae. This is another thing I find interesting. Evolutionarily speaking, why would this specific species loose 10 vertebrae when compared to its closest living relative the Mollisquama parini? This might seem trivial to you, until you realize that some of these traits are quite persistent throughout the animal kingdom. Think about it, both humans, and giraffes have 7 vertebrae in their necks.

I really encourage you to read the scientific paper that details this discovery. Knowing how to read these types of publications is crucial to being able to separate fact from fiction in the news. A lot of untrained eyes have written stories on scientific discoveries, without really understanding how to read these types of papers, and lept to outrageous or flat out erroneous claims.

I really love studying the benthopelagic zone. The bottom of the ocean is still largely unexplored and there are many, many more species to discover. What is your favorite topic to read up on? Let me know in the comments below and maybe we can inspire others to take a closer look.