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The spotted ratfish—a missing link. ⁠ ⁠ The spotted ratfish, Hydrolagus colliei, is part of a group of fishes known as chimaera. Their skeletons are composed of cartilage, not bone, a characteristic that groups them together with sharks and rays. But unlike sharks, with their conveyor belt rows of teeth, chimaeras have non-replaceable tooth plates composed of dense minerals and an upper jaw that is fused to their skulls. They are thought to be the missing link between cartilaginous fishes (sharks) and bony fishes because they share characteristics belonging to both groups. ⁠ ⁠ Spotted ratfish are typically found swimming along the seafloor up to 1,000 meters (3,300 feet). Females grow larger than males and can be up to one meter (about three feet) long. They eat bottom-dwelling animals like crabs, clams, worms, and sea stars.

Star Trek: The deep-sea generation.⁠ 🛸✨⁠ ⁠ This spacey specimen is the Pacific electric ray (Tetronarce californica). ⁠And it's not just a cool name; the Pacific electric ray is actually capable of producing up to 50 volts of electricity to catch its next meal. It may also use this fantastic superpower to defend itself against larger predators (which is rare). These electric rays feed on flatfishes like halibut, and other small bony fishes like anchovies, herring, and mackerel.⁠ ⁠ The Pacific electric ray hunts most actively at night when many fishes migrate down in the water column towards sandy flats. Mainly an ambush predator both in the daytime and at night, the electric ray will lunge at an unsuspecting fish and deliver a series of electric shocks (up to 1,000 if necessary) until the prey is overpowered. ⁠ ⁠ This species is found throughout the water column from the surface to about 200 meters (660 feet). Although they generally frequent sandy bottoms, they can also be found on rocky reefs, cruising through kelp forests, and even occasionally venturing out into the open ocean. ⁠#SharkWeek ⁠

Who took a bite out of this autonomous underwater vehicle? The data is back, and it was identified as a great white shark! 🦈⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ During the annual Controlled, Agile, and Novel Ocean Network (CANON) experiment, researchers deployed various vehicles and instruments simultaneously in Monterey Bay to collect data related to a specific physical and biological process in the bay.⁠ One of those vehicles had an unfortunate encounter with what scientists later identified as a great white shark. ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ MBARI engineers were able to recover the vehicle, and aside from some gashes, and a few teeth embedded in the hull, the vehicle only had minor damage. You can read all about this year's CANON experiment on our webpage (link in bio). Images by Brian Kieft and Ben Raanan.

Monday creeping up on us like this sleeper shark. 🦈⁠ ⁠ Pacific sleeper sharks (kind of) earn their name. Far from vicious predators, they eat small bottom-dwelling animals like fishes, octopuses, squids, crabs, and snails. They are also known to scavenge the seafloor for dead animals such as marine mammals. ⁠ ⁠ This species, Somniosus pacificus, can be found from the surface to 2,000 meters (~6,500 feet) and can grow up to 4.4 meters (14 feet) long. In 30 years exploring the deep Monterey Bay, MBARI's ROVs have only glimpsed these sharks fewer than 20 times. Preferring cold, deep water, these sharks live on continental shelves and slopes in temperate waters all around the world.

We're kicking off this year's Shark Week with the cutest deep-water shark we know, the lollipop shark. 🍭🦈💕⁠ ⁠ Lollipop catsharks, Cephalurus cephalus, have large heads and gills, which may help them absorb oxygen in low-oxygen environments. This individual was filmed in the Gulf of California at 707 meters (2,319 feet) deep. ⁠In the Gulf of California, these sharks are often found with their cousins, the filetail catshark, Parmaturus xaniurus. The two species may be difficult to tell apart from a distance, when individuals are small, or when P. xaniurus uncharacteristically has its gills expanded in low oxygen environments.⁠

We'll just be swimming around here until it begins.⁠ #SharkWeek #almosthere #cantwait⁠ ⁠ This rare glimpse of a blue shark, Prionace glauca, was captured by the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Ventana at 290 meters (951 feet) deep.⁠ ⁠ This beautiful shark lives in the pelagic zone in deep temperate and tropical waters worldwide. They are known for their slow, sinuous glide through the water, but can also move quickly when there is prey to be caught. Like many sharks, blue sharks are counter-shaded. The top of the body is blue, so that from above, it blends in with the darkness below and the underside is white, causing it to blend in with the ambient light when viewed from below.⁠ ⁠