Marine biologists doing a survey off the coast of Scotland were surprised to catch a rare, strange looking "sofa shark" about 50 miles southwest off the Isle of Barra. This was the second sighting of the creature in the same area, the first one being 15 years ago, The Scotsman reports.
The "sofa shark," also known as false catshark, was caught by scientists doing research for Scottish government agency Marine Scotland. It weighed 60 kilograms (about 132 pounds) and measured 6 feet. The scientists identified it as female.
"I was pretty surprised when it landed in our boat," Francis Neat, one of the marine biologists involved in the project, told The Scotsman. "We quickly measured and weighed it before sending it back into the water."
The Scottish Shark Tagging Programme announced on its website that it is adding the "sofa shark" to the list of elasmobranch species in Scotland, saying that the new addition would bring the total number to 72.
The false catshark is not native to Scotland; it can found in the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. However, being a deep sea creature that lives at depths of 4,600 feet, it is very rarely seen. It typically grows up to 10 feet long and feeds on squid, mackerel, octopus and eels, according to Discovery News.
The false catshark got its nickname "sofa shark" because it looks like "a soft, discarded sofa when it's just lying there," according to Neat.
Richard Lockhead, Scottish secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment, was excited at the sighting.
"It is great to see such a rare shark in Scottish waters, which has only been spotted here once before," he said, according to The Scotsman.
