WTF is this shark?

This is a shark that was filmed by the shell oil company at a depth of 3300 feet.... WTF kind of shark is this!?!?!



I was going to say basking shark, but I dun think so. It looks prehistoric, with skin like a catfish...

[edit on 15-6-2009 by DaMod]

I am no expert. However, that is one big shark.
Probably a species that has already been identified...

I thought those red beams were it's eyes. My offical response would have been Dr Evils Sharks With Frickin Lasers on their Frickin Heads!!!!

But now.. I'm stumped

Originally posted by antmax21
I am no expert. However, that is one big shark.
Probably a species that has already been identified...

I posted it here just in case.. either way I still want to know what it is..

I believe that it is a Six Gill Shark. They live at great depths. I think I saw one on a shark show, when some scientists put a bait box at great depths to see if they could get a Meg to show up. But all that did was some type of cod fish and a shark such as this.

It has the size of a whale shark, but the coloration doesn't match. My second guess would be that what we see in the video would undoubtedly be JAWS!

reply to post by skyeyes


Do six gill sharks have a dorsal fin? This one doesn't...

This is the first shark i have ever seen without a dorsal fin...

[edit on 15-6-2009 by DaMod]

Hard to tell. A scale would have helped. It would have gauged the size. If I was to guess I would say a Lemon shark.

reply to post by DaMod


www.sharkspecies.net...

en.wikipedia.org...

I wish I hadn't watched that.

I hate sharks I hate sharks I hate sharks.

Now i've seen the most gigantic one i've ever seen. This won't help my insomnia...

here is a cool flow chart to figure out differnt species of sharks.
www.dfw.state.or.us...
Key to Sharks, Rays, and Skates

1.a. Dorsally compressed (flat with eyes on top of head) with very large pectoral fins. Tail long and narrow - go to 13 (Rays and Skates)

1.b. Not dorsally compressed. Tail with distinct caudal fin - go to 2 (Sharks)

2.a. Has 2 dorsal fins - go to 4

2.b. Has 1 dorsal fin and 1 anal fin; teeth on lower jaw are saw-like- go to 3

3.a. Has 7 gill slits, black spots scattered over body - Sevengill Shark (Notorynchus cepedianus) (2.7 m / 9 ft) - rare species

3.b. Has 6 gill slits, no spots on body- Sixgill Shark (Hexanchus griseus) (4.7 m / 15.5 ft) - rare species

4.a. No anal fin present - go to 5

4.b. Anal fin present - go to 6

5.a. Has a single spine in front of each of the two dorsal fins. Snout pointed. White spots usually cover body - Spiny Dogfish (Squalus acanthias) (1.6 m / 5 ft) - uncommon species

5.b. No spines in front of dorsal fins. Snout rounded. Eyes small. Appears flaccid when out of water. No white spots on body - Pacific Sleeper Shark (Somniosus pacificus) (4.4 m / 14.5 ft) - rare species

6.a. Upper lobe of tail huge (more than half the length of the body) - Common Thresher Shark (Alopias vulpinus) (6.1 m / 20 ft) - rare species

6.b. Upper lobe of tail less than 1/4 length of body - go to 7

7.a. Body covered with broad dark bars, saddles, and spots - Leopard Shark (Triakis semifasciata) (2.1 m / 7 ft) - rare species

7.b. Few or no spots on body - go to 8

8.a. Body robust. Second dorsal fin tiny (less than 1/4 of the size of first dorsal fin). One or more lateral caudal keels - go to 9

8.b. Body slender. Second dorsal fin greater than 1/4 of the size of the first dorsal. No lateral caudal keels - go to 11

9.a. Pectoral fins long. Single caudal keel. Long conical pointed snout - Bonito Shark (Shortfin Mako) (Isurus oxyrinchus) (3.8 m / 12.5 ft) - rare species

9.b. Snout bluntly conical - go to 10

10.a. Has black spot at base of pectoral fin. Single caudal keel - White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias) (9.1 m / 30 ft) - rare species

10.b. Has black spot at base of pectoral fin. Large blotches of gray or black on belly in adults. Second caudal keel behind and below first keel - Salmon Shark (Lamna ditropis) (3 m / 10 ft) - rare species

11.a. Terminal dorsal lobe of tail large, almost half the size of the dorsal lobe. Second dorsal fin directly over the anal fin - Soupfin Shark (Galeorhinus galeus) (2 m / 6.5 ft) - rare species

11.b. Terminal dorsal lobe of tail less than a third of the size of the dorsal lobe - go to 12

12.a. Second dorsal fin ahead of anal fin - Brown Smoothhound (Mustelus henlei) (94 cm / 37 in) - rare species

12.b. Second dorsal fin directly above anal fin. Very long pectoral fins - Blue Shark (Prionace glauca) (3.8 m / 12.5 ft) - uncommon species

13.a. Row of three mid-body spines, and three rows of spines on tail. Snout short but distinctly pointed - California Skate (Raja inornata) (76 cm / 2.5 ft) - rare species

13.b. Single mid-body spine and row of single spine on the tail - go to 14

14.a. Single mid-body spine, and row of single spines beginning behind eye-spots and continuing out tail. Snout not distinctly pointed - Big Skate (Raja binoculata) (2.4 m / 8 ft) - uncommon species

14.b. Single mid-body spine, and row of single spines beginning at origin of pelvic fins and continuing out tail. Snout long and distinctly pointed - Longnose Skate (Raja rhina) (137 cm / 4.5 ft) - unusual species


[edit on 15-6-2009 by AKARonco]

That is one HUGH shark! I have no idea! I do know, that this is why I do not swim in the ocean!

Bluntnose sixgill shark.



en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by Mirthful Me
reply to post by DaMod

 

www.sharkspecies.net...

en.wikipedia.org...

Ah thanks for that link. Makes sense.. This one is absolutely massive! They are prehistoric as I suspected from the look of the beast. Glad to see they are still around after all these millions of years.

reply to post by Republican08



We seem to share a fear haha. Though, most things that live underwater scare me. And I don't mean "oh no it's scary, turn it off!" I mean "oh my god, i'm gonna have a panic attack" scared or "i'm gonna go cry and change my pants" scared haha.

12 feet long is not a huge shark. There are much larger ones around in our warm oceans. Like many other creatures, sharks tend to get larger the longer they live. This is not one of those whale-sharks, as it is far too small to be one of those.

The answer can be found in Nurse sharks near the Bikini Atoll.
Radiation altered the shark's DNA causing the loss of an entire fin in the population near that island; its not unheard of, especially in sharks. They're extremely hardy creatures, as the epic of evolution has told.

The shark in this video is a Six-Gilled Shark, no doubt. A unique specimen, perhaps; it may even be a member of a mutated population of sharks. Most likely, though are the following two possibilities: Either it is a new species (as in a close cousin to the known Six-Gill), or it is simply ugly. Even sharks can have scars and deformities.
Pick and choose; we'll probably never know about that particular shark. Its a big ocean, after all.

It's either a six-gill shark or a young megamouth shark. Most likely the former, possibly the later.

Doesn't it say massive 6 gill shark spotted at 3300 feet at the top of the video?

Here is the old thread. www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by testrat


Yes, yes it does.
I'm glad someone else caught that.