For the first time, scientists have observed a broadnose sevengill shark and bluntnose sixgill in the deep waters of the Galápagos Marine Reserve off the northern coast of Floreana and Española.
Both species were confirmed by elasmobranch taxonomist Dr. David Ebert at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. Observations were made during a deep-sea pilot research study in September and October 2019 lead by Charles Darwin Foundation’s marine scientist Salome Buglass, in collaboration with the Galapagos National Park Directorate, National Geographic Society, Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Media Lab Open Ocean Initiative, and Lindblad Expeditions (LEX).
“The occurrence of the broadnose sevengill shark, a coastal species, around the Galápagos is exciting and raises interesting questions about its migratory behavior. Sixgill sharks are primarily deep-sea and are one of the most abundant large deep-sea sharks,” Dr. Ebert said.
Both species belong to the Hexanchidae family, commonly known as cow sharks, considered among the most primitive groups of sharks. Their most distinctive features are their number of gills which have six to seven slits, unlike most other sharks which tend to only have five slits.
Read the original press release here: https://www.darwinfoundation.org/en/blog-articles/595-two-shark-species-newly-registered-in-the-deep-waters-of-the-galapagos-marine-reserve?fbclid=IwAR3hkyy1ZFPZPuQA50hpzWcKmtkZ2t4SzwjNUUkchTJkWDwMaB1RVyEt5aA
