Second Ever 'Pocket Shark' to be Found was Discovered Deep in the Gulf of Mexico

Ever hear of a pocket shark? The second ever "pocket shark" to be seen has been recovered from the ocean. Only a few inches long, this shark is extremely rare.

Although referred to commonly as the "pocket shark," this species' scientific name is Mollisquama sp. It has distinct orifice behind its pectoral fin, and is small enough to, well, fit in your pocket.

"The pocket shark we found was only 5 and a half inches long, and was recently born male," said Mark Grace, lead author of the new study, in a news release. "Discovering him has us thinking about where mom and dad may be, and how they got to the Gulf. The only other known specimen was found very far away, off Peru, 36 years ago.

The specimen wasn't actually found I the ocean, though; it was found in the lab. The shark was collected in the deep sea about 190 miles offshore Louisiana during a 2010 mission to study sperm whale feeding. The researchers uncovered the sample years later and took a closer look at the creature.

The researchers conducted genetic analysis on the pocket shark, and found that the shark is closely related to the kitefin and cookie cutter species, fellow members of the shark family Dalatiidae. Like other Dalatiidae shark species, it's possible that pocket sharks when hungry may remove an oval plug of flesh from their prey, which may include marine mammals, large fish and squid.

"The record of such an unusual and extremely rare fish is exciting, but it's also an important reminder that we still have much to learn about the species that inhabit our oceans," said Grace.

The findings are published in the journal Zootaxa.

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