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Very cool.
A team of Irish marine scientists has discovered a very rare “shark nursery” 200 miles of the west coast.
The Marine Institute’s remotely operated vehicle Holland 1 came across an abundance of egg cases while surveying the sea floor at 750 metres deep.
A large school of Blackmouth catshark and what are thought to be a plethora of their egg cases, also known as mermaid’s purses, were filmed on the sea floor.
Such large numbers and concentration are rarely seen and suggest that females may gather in the area to lay their eggs.
A second more unusual and solitary species, the Sailfin roughshark, was also observed in the area, and it’s thought that it was feeding on the eggs in the area.
Clip via marineinstituteIRL
The Sailfin Roughshark is listed as ‘Near Threatened’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, meaning it may become extinct in the near future.
Sightings of the shark are rare.
The shark nursery was discovered in one of six offshore Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in Irish waters.
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