The highly-rare viper shark was caught near Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean this week, and it is one of the very few viper sharks that have been ensnared since the early 80s.
Dazzling the scientists, a rare shark was caught in the Pacific Ocean which – like the monster from the “Alien” sci-fi film – can take its jaws beyond its mouth. The shark belongs to the category of rare viper sharks which are on the verge of distinction.
The viper shark – which earns the name because of its fear-inducing fangs – was caught by a group of researchers near Taiwan. The shark catches its target via its extending jaws, which are so huge that a large fish can be swallowed with a single bite.
What’s more, if the rapidly extending jaws weren’t enough for this shark to attract everybody’s attention, it has another unique feature: that of glowing in the dark. It was this feature that led the researchers near it earlier this week.
According to Taiwan Fishers Research Institute, they picked up five such creatures during a routine survey which took them near the Donghe Township. Describing the shark, the Institute said that it recognized them from their needle-shaped teeth which look like snake-like fangs.
Since they are rarely come into view because of their minute size, viper sharks aren’t very famous. That said, the scientists believe that these sharks could swim from depths ranging 400m deep during daylight. At night, they swim above and remain 150m below the sea level.
Scientists further believe that this shark could grow to 21’’ in length, and is the oceans surrounding Taiwan, China, and Hawaii. The scientific name of the shark, given to it by Japanese researchers, is Trigonognathus kabeyai.
The latest catch, trapped at a depth of around 350feet, contained five viper sharks. Four were dead at the time of their catch whereas the fifth –despite being covered in a cool sweater, only survived one more day.
