[Non ceph] Monstrous sleeper shark

[OB]

Unfortunately, bar the (two foot?) grenadier bumping into this monster, there's no simple reference for size within the videoframe, but the sheer impression of bulk is overwhelming: remember that this is what feeds on Mesonychoteuthis!

Edit: Apparently this is already from 1990 and based on the bait cage it was estimated at 7 meters (23 feet) in length... that's BIG.

 

[Mola Mola]

I've always found Greenland sharks to be very cool, thanks for posting this. @ the people who responded to the video, some say such dumb things.

 

[monty]

can any of you teuthologist hot shots see enough of the squid to ID it? It seems likely to be Dosidicus, but it looked a little longer and thinner...

 

[OB]

Oh, it's Dosidicus alright, just a fairly large specimen; the dimensions change slightly with size, and the camera's focal length makes things slightly more convincing still. I think the specimen being held by the scuba diver is close to seven feet total length, which is very considerable...

 

[Jean]

this is what feeds on Mesonychoteuthis!

Impressive, but unlikely to be feeding on Messie! The greenland sleeper shark is restricted to the Arctic and Messie to the Antarctic!

There is however a southern sleeper shark but as far as I know there is no info on it's diet..............but I wouldn't be surprised if they eat each other! (I have found shark skin in Moroteuthis guts!)

Cheers

J

 

[OB]

http://www.tonmo.com/community/index.php?threads/1680/&highlight=Kerguelen

 

[Jean]

Forgot that! thanks for the reminder.....but still isn't the greenland sleeper............bet they eat archi tho!

J

 

[chrono_war01]

Funny how the title of that youtube vid is "Megalodon"...either someone's been cloning giant sharks, or the user's been ill informed of erm..current affairs.

 

[hallucigenia]

Megalodon, eh? Hah...I particularly liked this comment:

"holy shit! IS THIS REAL?
I HEARD ABOUT THIS BUT I NEVER NEW IT WAS REALESED"

 

[Fujisawas Sake]

Interesting how you get such giant forms in such nutrient-poor areas. I wonder what else there is down there.

 

[CapnNemo]

One of the respondees to the You Tube vid reckons "in fact it was taken by the french submersible Nautile during a dive in Suruga Bay" - was any other footage from that dive released or available?

Are there any other Sleeper Shark videos around, I would be very interested to see more sleeper footage?

 

[OB]

Sleeper shark footage is remarkably scarce. There's some really good stuff by national geographic, which they took during their Greenland photoshoot of a few year back, but Pacific sleeper shark is a different story. I will go a hunting for it, nevertheless!

Edit: I know MBARI are sitting on a 8 foot pregnant female video, please find stills attached.

Second edit: There's a video here of a harbor branch submerisible encountering a 4.5 meter Greenland shark off the coast of Maine.

Third edit: Greenland shark video

 

[CapnNemo]

Many thanks Ob, that's brilliant.

Wormlike parasites in the eyes??

My reading of the linked to thread http://www.tonmo.com/forums/showthre...h t=Kerguelen is that we never conclusively (excuse my spelling) worked out whether certain types of Sleeper prey on Messie?

Am I correct in that interpretation of the debate?

 

[main_board]

I can't imagine a relatively slow moving shark with impaired eye-sight being able to pursue, or stalk, or ambush a Messie with enormous well developed eyes and amazing reflexes. I'm sure they wouldn't pass up a scavenging opportunity on a dead messie though.

Cheers!

 

[Sordes]

Although I also suppose that sleeper sharks mainly scavenge on dead or dying Mesonychoteuthis, I would not completely rule out that they are able to catch and kill such a beast. They look very sluggish, but they can also be very fast on short distances, and the lack of eyesight is surely compensited with other senses.