Sharks Confirmed in Panama Waters

Scientists on a submarine spotted for first time in Panama, an ‘Atypical’ gathering of ‘rare’ deep-sea predators.  Panama’s first confirmed sighting was a gathering of 10 prickly sharks off the coast of Panama.  Deep underwater, this group of elusive predators gathered quietly but it didn’t go unnoticed.  The scientists recognized these “rare” sea creatures identified as prickly sharks, from a study published March 8th in the peer-reviewed Journal of Fish Biology.  Prickly sharks, scientifically known as Echinorhinus cookei, are an elusive and “solitary” deep-sea species named for the “small” thorny projections that cover their bodies.  These sharks are found throughout the Pacific Ocean.  A photo below shows the pale gray-brown shark.  Researchers spotted 12 prickly sharks in May 2022 during a series of submarine dives to explore the Cordillera de Coiba seamounts, a protected marine area off the western coast of Panama. Two prickly sharks were seen by themselves, and 10 were seen in an “atypical” gathering.  The sharks seemed to have “gathered deliberately rather than coincidentally,” but researchers did not know why.  The deep-sea predators “were mainly observed swimming over rocky habitats” about 1,000 feet underwater.  The sighting was the “first documented record of live specimens of Echinorhinus cookei in Panama”.  Prickly sharks had been seen in the area before, but the sightings were not confirmed.  The recent sightings suggest that the Cordillera de Coiba seamounts might be a “critical habitat” for prickly sharks.