Sharks are some of the most ancient creatures still living today. Sharks have mostly almost been unchanged, having evolved fairly early and becoming one of the most successful predators. However, there are some sharks that are different from the norm. The ghost shark origin has been found in fossil.
The chimaera is also called the ghost shark. It is a near relative of the shark that lives in the deep parts of the ocean. Just like most sharks as well, the ghost's shark structure is made up mainly of cartilage and not bone. Finding out its ancestry can be difficult then.
A rare fossil of the ghost shark's ancestor might have been found though. A fossil from Cape Province, South Africa has been found in the 1980s. The fossil belongs to a 280 million year old fossil that at the time was thought to be that of a symmorrid shark. However, a CT scan made by researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center recently has shown that the fossil belongs to an early form of the chimaera.
The fossil might be the best link yet for the modern chimaera. The researchers have identified some of its parts such as its brain, nostrils and inner ears to be close to that of modern chimaera, according to Fox News. The fossil that has been found is the skull of the early chimaera.
Michael Coates, lead author of the study and a Professor at the Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago has said that the large eyes of the fossil has made the modern chimaera well adapted to low light conditions in the deep ocean.
The chimaera has so much mystery in it that scientists still have to know about. Scientists still do not know what food it eats, as Live Science reports. Studying the fossil could lead to learning more about the chimaera or ghost shark.
Sharks and its relatives are ancient. They have been one of the most successful creatures to have evolved. Now the ghost shark's origin has been found in fossil. Trained dolphins are being used to search for the rare Vaquita porpoise.
