Strange Sharks Seen Nauru
p. 17 · Read in the full issue
Two sharks of a species that may be new to science were seen recently at a depth of 1,400 ft off the coast of Nauru while members of an American company, Oceanic Engineering Services, were inspecting the sea-bed with a television camera to see if new moorings could be put down there (See p. 101).
Mr. R. Nevile, chief engineer of the British Phosphate Commissioners, told PIM in Melbourne, that the sharks were about eight feet long and 18 inches wide. They appeared to be without eyes and were not disturbed by the floodlights attached to the television camera, which was trailing a few feet above the ocean floor.
Mr. Nevile added that he intended to refer photographs of the sharks to museum authorities in Melbourne.
In Sydney, the Curator of Fishes at the Australian Museum, Mr.
F. H. Talbot, said it was not unusual to find sharks at a depth of 1,000 ft.
Some, in fact, had been found as far down as 1,000 fathoms. However, those seen at Nauru could be of a species that had never been caught or seen before.