Here is some rare video footage of a sleeper shark collected near the Solomon Islands by researchers from the University of Rhode Island via remote video cameras in an expedition supported by the National Geographic Society.
Another, different clip from this footage shows more of this sleeper shark.
As detailed in this story from a National Geographic news release, there are some question as to whether this is the Pacific sleeper shark, as opposed to the southern or Antarctic sleeper shark. Scientists seem to think this is the Pacific one, which would make this the southern-most record for this species.
We are interested in Pacific sleeper sharks since we are gearing up for a new project on this species that will allow us to bring smaller, immature animals into temporary residency at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska. You can also read about why and how we got the idea of investigating sleeper sharks in an older blog post.
Stay tuned for more stories from our new sleeper shark project!
(Photo credit: Rarely Seen Shark Filmed Near Underwater Volcano | National Geographic https://youtu.be/d79LoSLD8HU )
Written by: Dr. Markus Horning
