Ghost sharks, sometimes known as chimeras, have existed for hundreds of millions of years in the ocean’s depths.
In 1928, a gifted young man called H. P. Lovecraft introduced the world to his character Cthulhu, a beast from the depths of the ocean that invaded the Earth. The backstory of the horror story’s father is far more complicated than an intimidating sea creature; yet, it makes it evident that humanity has been anticipating what lay under the waves from time immemorial. And, while it is humans that produces terror by hunting these animals, Lovecraft was correct in one thing: there are creatures that defy our knowledge of living things.
One such monster was recently discovered: a bizarre fish with the shape of the famous scaled dragon beast, except it is pale pink in color.
Photograph of a ghost
Although many of the organisms that dwell in the water have been classified and their species have been known for centuries, witnessing them is an experience that cannot be described in words. Photographer Roman Fedorstov’s social media is strewn with unusual critters that Roman encounters along the route as confirmation of this.
One of his most recent images depicted an unusual dragon-like fish with a long tail, protruding eyes, and a color range spanning from grey to pastel pink. The photographer seems shocked by his discovery, however he did not include a statement other than a quotation from Lovecraft: “It is one thing to follow something nameless, but it is quite another to find it.”
Instagram users quickly began to speculate about the bizarre fish’s origins, since its form seemed to originate from an universe quite different from ours. They first speculated about the presence of a new species of flying dragonfish; however, the fish was later revealed to be a chimera.
The cosmonauts’ idea appears to be correct, and the bizarre kind of fish Roman depicts in his shot is connected to cartilaginous marine animals such as manta rays and sharks. According to experts, the fictitious dragon fish is actually a ghost shark that has seldom been spotted since it lurks in the ocean’s depths.
Where does the ghost shark live?
Ghost sharks, sometimes known as chimeras, are virtually living fossils because they have been on the globe since the Devonian period 419 million years ago. The fact that they are cartilaginous is what distinguishes them and gives them their ghostly aspect. That is, they lack a bony skeleton and instead stiffen sections of their bodies with cartilage plates.
They are most usually found in the ocean’s depths, where they may reach depths of up to 2,600 meters in a region known as the bathyal. As a result, they are rarely encountered near the surface, where most expeditions take place. In truth, nothing is known about their activity, and there are few images of them in the wild, but because to the virality of social media, more people will be able to watch this fascinating ghost shark and enjoy the diversity of marine life.