Surprise as shark caught on camera in Antarctica’s near-freezing deep for the first time
Shark caught on camera in Antarctica’s icy waters
- A sleepershark was filmed in the Antarctic Ocean in January 2025, challenging long-held scientific beliefs that sharks do not inhabit these frigid waters.
- Researcher Alan Jamieson from the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre captured footage of the substantial shark, estimated to be between 3 and 4 metres long.
- The shark was observed at a depth of 490 metres off the South Shetland Islands, within the Antarctic Ocean, where the water temperature was a near-freezing 1.27 degrees Celsius.
- Experts confirm this is the first recorded instance of a shark being found so far south, overturning prior understanding of the region's biodiversity.
- While climate change could be a factor, scientists suggest these slow-moving sharks may have long been present but unnoticed due to the area's remoteness and limited deep-sea research.
Bookmark popover
Removed from bookmarks