Rare Footage Of Sixgill Shark Captured By Billionaire’s Research Project

The crew on recently deceased billionaire Paul Allen’s research ship Petrel who were exploring the wreckage of a World War 2 ship off the coast of the Philippines using a remotely operated submersible were surprised when a shark with no dorsal fin suddenly appeared on their screens. One of the researchers can be heard identifying the shark as a Sixgill and asked the operator to zoom in on the rare predator. As the camera zoomed in the shark turns around confirming what was suspected, what the crew were seeing was an extremely rare sixgill shark.

Incredibly rare species

Gonzalo Arujo an expert with the Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute in the Philippines says the footage of the bluntnose sixgill shark is remarkable because it is an incredibly rare species that lives in the depths of the ocean. Mr Arujo thinks this is the first live encounter with the species in the Philippines. In fact, there have only been a few recorded sightings and reinforces the fact that the Philippines has a rich marine biodiversity that needs to be sustainably managed.

Prehistoric shark

The footage of the rare shark was uploaded by Paul Allen’s Seattle based Vulcan which is the holding company of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s network of philanthropic and investment organisations and initiatives. The bluntnose sixgill shark can measure up to 15 feet long making it one of the world’s largest sharks and is not common to the Philippines. It is more closely related to primitive species and has more extinct relatives than alive ones.