Newest shark

As documented in the journal Zootaxa on 18 June 2019, the most recently recognized species of shark is the American pocket shark (Mollisquama mississippiensis), a type of kitefin shark. Captured in the Gulf of Mexico in February 2010, the 142-millimetre-long (5.5-inch) juvenile male is only the second species of pocket shark found to date; the first was recovered from the eastern Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Chile, in 1979 and is named Mollisquama parini.

Pocket sharks are so-called not for their diminutive “pocket-size” proportions but two pouch-like glands located above their pectoral fins. The purpose of the glands appears to be to produce a luminescent substance, which may be used to attract prey or mates in low-light deep-sea habitats.

The western North Atlantic species is distinguished from its Pacific relation by several biological features, including different teeth, numerous photophores (light-producing organs) across its body and 10 fewer vertebrae.

The study that confirmed the shark to be a distinct new species was a collaboration between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Tulane University Biodiversity Research Institute, the Florida Museum of Natural History and the American Museum of Natural History (all USA).