Mysterious shark ‘older than the dinosaurs’ caught on film

A shark which has been on our planet for nearly 200 million years, and which has eluded researchers has finally been caught on film - and tagged.

It’s the first time the bluntnose sixgill has been satellite-tagged in this way, the researchers say, with the mysterious creatures usually staying 8,200 feet down.

The team from Ocean X and Florida University tagged the creature from a submersible vehicle.

It’s the first time this has ever been achieved, as the creatures have previously been ‘surface-tagged’ (ie taken to the surface), which researchers have worried could affect the data.

The researchers wrote, ‘Because bluntnose sixgills are a deep sea species, it’s hard on them physiologically to be tagged in this way.

‘In their typical life cycle, they won’t experience daylight, and very rarely will they feel the low pressure, warmer temperatures of surface waters.

‘Typically, the data obtained after surface tagging of a six gill is believed to be skewed, as the shark does not return to its natural behaviours for some time after the tagging.’

In a blog post, the researchers write, ‘This is historic for a variety of reasons. Now that we’ve proven this method can work for the sixgill, we can unlock the world of leviathan deep-sea dwellers and gain important insights into their movement and behaviour.’