The Six Strangest Sharks You've Probably Never Heard Of

The ninja lanternshark is a more recently discovered species with jet black skin, large bulbous eyes, and special cells in its skin that allow it to glow in the deep parts of the ocean it inhabits. The ninja lanternshark gets its name from a conversation between the researcher that discovered it, Vicky Vasquez, and her

The ninja lanternshark is a more recently discovered species with jet black skin, large bulbous eyes, and special cells in its skin that allow it to glow in the deep parts of the ocean it inhabits. The ninja lanternshark gets its name from a conversation between the researcher that discovered it, Vicky Vasquez, and her 8-year-old cousins. The children thought the sleek black appearance and ability to camouflage itself using bioluminescence made it sound like a ninja. They originally wanted to call it the super ninja lanternshark, but Vasquez decided to remove the "super" to give the name a better chance of being accepted by the scientific community.

The scientific name of the ninja lanternshark, Etmopherus benchley, is named after the author of "Jaws," Peter Benchley. Not much is known about this species of shark yet, but the program director for Pacific Shark Research Center (PSRC), where the shark was studied, says, "About 20% of all shark species have been discovered in just the last 10 years. My whole research is looking for 'lost sharks'." More information is currently being gathered on this and other rare species of sharks (via Hakai Magazine).

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