Overview
- The Minderoo–UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre released footage of a sleeper shark recorded in January 2025 off the South Shetland Islands within the Southern Ocean.
- The animal, estimated at 3–4 meters long, was filmed at roughly 490 meters in near‑freezing water measured at about 1.27°C.
- Researchers and outside experts say this is the most southerly recorded observation of a shark in any ocean.
- Visuals alone cannot confirm the species, so water samples collected at the site are being analyzed for DNA to resolve its identity.
- Experts note the shark held to a relatively warmer subsurface layer around 500 meters and could scavenge sunken carcasses, while sparse, seasonal camera coverage leaves big detection gaps and limits conclusions about possible range shifts.