glides over the deep sandy slopes

Size
Length: 60–90 cm, Weight: 2–5 kg
Lifespan
15–25 years
Diet
Carnivorous feeding on small fish crustaceans worms and molluscs. Crushes hard-shelled prey with tooth plates. Uses electroreceptors on snout to locate buried food.
Habitat
Deep continental slopes and seamounts between 200 and 800 metres depth. Prefers sandy and muddy bottoms near rocky outcrops. Often found in cold oxygen-rich waters.
Range
Found in deep waters around New Zealand from Northland to Campbell Plateau. Most common on Chatham Rise and off west coast of South Island. Also found in southern Australia.
Endemism
Endemic
Main Threats
Bycatch in deep-sea trawl and longline fisheries is primary threat. Also threatened by habitat damage from bottom trawling on seamounts and slow reproduction making populations vulnerable.
Population
Population trends poorly understood due to species' deep-water habitat. Caught as bycatch in target fisheries for hoki orange roughy and oreo. Quota management system limits total bycatch.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
Human Risk
harmless
Handling Note
deep sea ghost shark, fragile species observe from distance
Conservation Note
Endemic chimaera; widespread in deep offshore waters and not currently threatened.
Assessment
NZTCS Sharks, Rays & Chimaeras (2024)
Te Ao Māori
The dark ghost shark has no traditional Māori name or significance as it lives in deep waters far beyond the reach of traditional fishing. Its rabbit-like face and smooth skin were unknown to Māori. In modern times its flesh is sold as pearl fillets a marketing name that hides its true identity. It is a reminder that even in the deep sea fish are sometimes given new names to make them more appealing to consumers.
Mysterious relative of sharks and rays. A ghost that is dark brown instead of pale. Its smooth scale-less skin is a deep chocolate brown. A venomous spine sits in front of its first dorsal fin for defence. Like all ghost sharks it has a rabbit-like face with large green eyes. Its flesh is sold as pearl fillets a name that reflects the white delicate quality of the meat. A shark that becomes pearls on a plate. The body is compressed and tapering with a large head and a pointed snout. The skin is smooth and scale-less unlike the rough skin of sharks. The colour is a uniform dark brown providing camouflage in the deep. The eyes are large and green adapted to low light. It has a venomous spine in front of its first dorsal fin. The spine is used for defence. When threatened the ghost shark raises its spine warning predators to stay away. The venom is not lethal to humans but the wound is painful. It feeds on the seafloor using the electroreceptors on its snout to locate buried prey. It crushes hard-shelled prey with its tooth plates which are made of calcified cartilage. It swallows the crushed shells and all. It is oviparous laying eggs in leathery capsules. The egg cases are often called mermaid's purses. Not targeted by commercial fisheries it is caught as bycatch in deep-sea trawls and longlines. Its flesh is sold as pearl fillets a name that disguises its true identity. The deep sea is dark. The ghost shark hovers dark brown and rabbit-faced green eyes watching. The trawl net drags. The ghost shark is caught. Its flesh becomes pearl fillets. It does not know it is being renamed. It just wanted to crush a clam. The deep sea keeps its secrets. The ghost shark is one of them.