Researchers have discovered a new species of shark in the Pacific Ocean that is so incredibly stealthy, they've compared it to a ninja, according to the Daily Mail. The ninja lanternshark, or Etmopterus benchleyi, has pitch black skin with photophores that make it glow as it hunts.
It can grow to about 19 inches long, making it a smaller shark, and lives in depths from 800 to 1,400 meters in the Pacific's "twilight zone."
Vicky Vasquez, lead researcher and marine biologist with the Pacific Shark Research Center in California, helped named the shark.
"We don't know a lot about lanternsharks. They don't get much recognition compared to a great white," said Vasquez. "So when it came to this shark I wanted to give it an interesting story."
Vasquez took the case to her 8-year old cousin, who dubbed the shark a "Super Ninja Shark," according to Hakai Magazine.
But she scaled the name back for the sake of her colleagues.
"Taxonomy can sometimes be kind of dry, but the naming thing always gets people excited," said Dave Ebert, PSRC program director. "About 20 percent of all shark species have been discovered in just the last ten years. My whole research is looking for 'lost sharks.'"
