By Ionspacific Sleeper Sharks
Scientists capture Pacific sleeper sharks on camera in the South China Sea region for the first time (Image Credit: Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research)
When scientists dropped a dead cow over 1.6 kilometers deep into the South China Sea, they weren’t sure what would come. What surfaced instead on camera was something no one had ever seen in these waters before: a Pacific sleeper shark, a hulking predator usually found thousands of miles to the north.This is the first time these giant animals have been seen in this part of the world, extending their known range.Also Read: Why Florida should be worried as 2025 Hurricane season has an unusual startThe study, led by researchers from Sun Yat-sen University and the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, aimed to observe how large animals feed in the deep ocean. To do this, they lowered a cow carcass to the seafloor southeast of Hainan Island and placed cameras nearby.Live EventsRare sharks in a new regionPacific sleeper sharks usually live in the colder waters of the North Pacific, including the Bering Sea, the Gulf of Alaska, and around Baja California. Their appearance in the South China Sea marks the southernmost known point of their habitat.Researchers recorded multiple sharks feeding on the carcass. All the sharks seen in the video were female. This raises another possibility that this area might act as a nursery ground for large shark species, similar to the pattern observed in megamouth sharks.Larger sharks, over 2.7 metres long, were seen tearing into the carcass aggressively, while smaller ones circled at a distance. Interestingly, the sharks seemed to queue while feeding. Those arriving from behind took priority over those already feeding.Scientists believe this may show a unique survival strategy. Instead of being solitary, these sharks may have evolved non-aggressive, hierarchical feeding behavior, similar to what’s observed during whale carcass scavenging at the ocean surface.Another key observation was the sharks’ eye retraction while feeding. Unlike many predators, Pacific sleeper sharks lack a protective eye membrane. Scientists believe eye retraction is a defensive move to protect their eyes during aggressive feeding.The highly aggressive feeding behavior in the South China Sea also suggests that the deep waters here might have more food sources than previously thought. Researchers now want to understand what supports such large-bodied animals in these depths.Why are Pacific sleeper sharks different?Pacific sleeper sharks (Somniosus pacificus) are deep-sea giants rarely seen by humans, making their recent appearance in the South China Sea a major scientific surprise. These sharks are typically found in cold, northern waters like the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. Seeing them so far south, and captured on camera feeding aggressively on a cow carcass dropped 1,629 meters below the surface, is the first such recording in this region.Unlike fast predators such as great white sharks, Pacific sleeper sharks are slow-moving and adapted to extreme depths where sunlight doesn’t reach. They rely on stealth and scavenging, and their behavior differs surprisingly. Researchers also observed what appeared to be queuing behavior while feeding, where approaching sharks were given priority over those already eating, a pattern not often seen among large predators.Though not the largest sharks in the ocean, Pacific sleeper sharks are among the biggest predators in the deep sea. They can grow up to 7 meters long, placing them behind only filter-feeding giants like the whale shark and basking shark in size.(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
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(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News onPacific Sleeper SharksSouth China Seadeep sea feeding behaviorcow carcass feedingnew species rangepacific sleeper sharks south china seashark feeding behaviorlarge marine predatorsnorth pacific(Catch all the US News, UK News, Canada News, International Breaking News Events, and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily International News Updates….moreless
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