(PCM) It is not very often that sharks are referred to as “cute”, however the newly discovered species of of ‘pocket shark’ is adorably small and shows many similarities in appearance to a baby sperm whale.
The tiny-size shark was actually discovered off the coast of the Gulf Of Mexico a few years ago in a batch of fish that were collected as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration study that was conducted back in 2010. The 5.5 inch shark specimen was placed in a freezer for over three years waiting to finally be identified.
In fact, it is a miracle that the adorable little guy wasn’t tossed away as the freezer it was being stored in lost power several times over the years. It appears that the shark was only a few weeks old when it died and it is only the second of it’s species to ever be seen. Another ‘pocket shark’ is currently in a Russian museum. It has been named the ‘pocket shark’ due to the discovery of two pockets located next to its’ front fins, but researchers are still unsure of their purpose.
The specimen was shipped off to New York and than France for further testing before it will be returned to Louisana for dissection and additional studies.
