Deep underwater, a group of elusive predators gathered off the coast of Panama. The gathering was “atypical” and a first of its kind for the area.
It didn’t go unnoticed.
Scientists in a submarine spotted the “rare” sea creatures and identified them as prickly sharks, according to a study published March 8 in the peer-reviewed Journal of Fish Biology.
Prickly sharks, scientifically known as Echinorhinus cookei, are an elusive and “solitary” deep-sea species named for the “small” thorny projections that cover their bodies, researchers said. These sharks are found throughout the Pacific Ocean. A photo shows the pale gray-brown shark.
Researchers spotted 12 prickly sharks in May 2022 during a series of submarine dives to explore the Cordillera de Coiba seamounts, a protected marine area off the western coast of Panama, the study said.