A newly discovered “monster fish” has emerged in the deep waters off the northeastern coast of Australia, astonishing scientists with its strangely human-like “killer” teeth.
The new species, called “horn shark,” scientific name Heterodontus marshallae, features a pair of small horns protruding above its eyes, while its body is adorned with striking striped patterns.
The newly identified “monster fish” in Australia is an unknown species of shark with a strange appearance – (Photo: CISRO)
According to fish biologist Helen O’Neill from the Australian National Fish Collection (ANFC) under CISRO (a major Australian government agency for scientific research, industry, environment, and education), this creature resembles a living fossil.
“They have a morphology similar to the fossils of an ancient extinct shark species, including horns, but we now determine they are not related,” Dr. O’Neill told Live Science.
A recent study published in the scientific journal Diversity reports that this “monster fish” was found in deep waters approximately 125-229 meters below the surface off the northeastern coast of Australia.
This shark species has many large jaws and teeth relative to its skull, allowing it to feed on mollusks and crustaceans.
Most frighteningly, some of its teeth are very similar to the large molars of humans. In this shark species, these teeth are sturdier and help it crush hard-shelled organisms.
Previously, this monster fish had been mistaken for the zebra horn shark, a species found in waters near Australia, Indonesia, and Japan.
Scientists have reanalyzed many specimens in museums and identified the new species from six different specimens. During an expedition in 2022, the research team also discovered a live male horn shark.
