Jul 14, 2021
It's true that both sharks and Shark Week get a bad rap, but we'll take any excuse to highlight these phenomenal fishes! 🦈✨ This shark's name is as cute as it is! Lollipop catsharks, Cephalurus cephalus, have large heads and gills, which may help them absorb oxygen in low-oxygen environments. This individual was filmed in the Gulf of California at 707 meters (2,320 feet) deep. In the Gulf of California, these sharks are often found with their cousins, the filetail catshark, Parmaturus xaniurus. The two species may be difficult to tell apart from a distance, when individuals are small, or when P. xaniurus uncharacteristically has its gills expanded in low oxygen environments.