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Second ever pocket shark described

Pocket shark

Scientists have just discovered the second specimen ever collected of a small shark known as a pocket shark. The first pocket shark (Mollisquama parini) was discovered in 1984 off the coast of Peru. This second species was inadvertently collected by scientists in the Gulf of Mexico studying sperm whales.

As much as we’d like to think the name is for a shark that might fit in a pocket, it is actually for a large pocket gland behind its pectoral fin. It is unknown exactly what this gland is used for, but the photophores (glow in the dark cells) on its underside may be a clue.

Pocket Shark

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