Shark of the Month
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May 2021
Australian Ghost Shark
Photo credit: Science News
Australian Ghost Shark
Callorhinchus milii
Quick Facts:
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The Ghost shark lacks a stomach.
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These are not a true shark, but diverged from the shark lineage roughly 400 million years ago. They are considered a chimaera.
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They have the slowest-evolving genome of any vertebrate.
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Their hoe-shaped snout is used to search for prey in the sand and is extremely sensitive to electric fields and movement.
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Appear to school by gender.
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Males reach reproductive maturity at 3 years of age and females reach reproductive maturity at 4-5 years of age.
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Their hoe like snout make it easy to be caught by fishermen. In Australia, commercial catch of this fish is restricted by a weight quota (114 tonnes for the 2020-2021 season.)
Also known as: Elephant shark, ghost shark, elephant fish, silver trumpeter, and whitefish
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Location: The continental shelves of temperate areas in southwestern Pacific Ocean along the coasts of southern Australia and New Zealand. Usually at depths to at least 200 m (656 feet). Reproduce in shallow water.
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Length: 49 inches (125 cm).
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Age span: Roughly 15 years.
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Weight: 7 kg (females grow larger than males).
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Conservation Status: Least Concern​
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Diet: Small fish, shellfish, molluscs, Maorimactra ordinaria (clam).
For more information on the Australian Ghost Shark, take a look at the following:
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https://www.afma.gov.au/fisheries-management/species/elephant-fish
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https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24835-elephant-shark-takes-record-for-slowest-evolution/
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https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/callorhinchus-milii/
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https://www.sciencenews.org/article/how-ghost-shark-lost-its-stomach