Not all sharks are big enough to eat seven 50 pound tuna fish. In fact, the smallest shark that exists today is the Dwarf LanternShark, Etmopterus perryi, measuring at only 17 cm in length when full grown and can perfectly fit in the palm of your hand. This small little shark was first discovered in 1985 along the coast of the Caribbean living in a water level of 290 feet which is within the bathypelagic ocean zone ranging from 1000 to 4000 meters below sea level. This particular shark species has remained a local to the deep Caribbean waters and though it has been officially discovered, it is actually a rare experience to ever encounter one of them.

Due to their small size, which is a weight of only ½ an ounce, not much is known about this shark species, but enough research has been done to be able to share basic knowledge about the lifestyle of this rare species. Since they live within the deepwater range and lives in a darker environment than other marine species, it has recently been discovered that this tiny shark possesses bio-luminescent qualities, meaning that they can produce a glowing green light on their underside.

At sexual maturity, males reach to be about 17.5 cm long while females only tend to reach 15.5 cm in length, and the small born pups are even smaller coming to about only 6 or 7 cm long that come in liters of 2 or 3. These dwarf sharks are equipped especially with five sets of rigid fins that all function help carry them along through the water and also to help stabilize their movements.

Since they are a deepwater species, their fins and torpedo-shaped body help them to swim fast and catch their prey which consists of zooplankton, small shrimp and other fish that also make a living within the bathypelagic environment. Every species of shark has its own evolutionary advantages, this shark has evolved to its environment and its teeth specifically have evolved as well to help them to catch these small delicious fish and crustaceans. Like many other deepwater-living species, these small sharks are exposed to the dangers of deep sea fisheries which have been known to accidently scoop up this shark as bycatch, which was probably how it had been discovered in the first place.

 

Next to the Dwarf LanternShark, there are yet a few more small sharks including the Spined Pygmy Shark which also reaches a full length of 28 cm, and the Dwarf Gulper Shark being a little bigger and growing to a full length of 2 feet long as at adulthood. These sharks may not be much bigger than the LanternShark, but have completely different geographic habitats which is in the Indian and pacific oceans along the coasts of Japan and Taiwan for the Gulper Shark, and along the coasts of the United States, Bermuda, and Brazil for the Pygmy Shark.

Though these sharks live in a different geographical area than the other, their anatomy, feeding habits, and overall lifestyles very closely math each other. It’s pretty amazing how similar sharks of similar size can all live the same lifestyles yet while also being distributed in different areas all around the world. But one of the main things that both these small species share is the common and constant threat of human activity. All three of these sharks are a rare deepwater species and though they may be very small, they too deserve to have their rightful place within today’s oceans.