Overview
- The shark was recorded at roughly 490 meters near the South Shetland Islands in water measuring about 1.27°C.
- Scientists estimate the animal was 3–4 meters long, with video showing a slow pass before a brief dart as a skate remained still nearby.
- The Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre’s remote camera filmed the encounter in January 2025 at a depth with a relatively warmer water layer around 500 meters.
- Researchers and independent experts say this is the first verified record of a shark within the Southern Ocean south of 60°S.
- Explanations under review include long-standing but undetected presence due to sparse, summer-only deep cameras or a possible climate-driven range shift.