Velvet belly lanternshark
Etmopterus spinax
— Where the name comes from
Spinax refers to the spines in front of the dorsal fins, as in the spurdog; Etmopterus is a compound of Greek elements alluding to the structure of the fin. The English name, velvet belly lantern shark, is more informative than either: the belly is black velvet, and it lights up.
— Facts
- Group
- Fish · Actinopterygii · Chondrichthyes
- Order
- Dogfish sharks
- Habitat
- Continental slope between 200 and 1,000 metres
- Range
- The eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean
- Size
- 30–45 cm, up to 60 cm; 400–800 g
- Diet
- Small fish, squid, crustaceans
- Lifespan
- 20 years
— Characteristics
- 01
The belly is covered in thousands of light organs.
- 02
The dorsal spines are lit at the base as well.
- 03
It is one of the commonest sharks of the deep Mediterranean.
— What sets it apart
It lights up in order to disappear. At two hundred metres a thread of light still comes down from above, and anything seen from below shows as a dark silhouette: this shark switches on its belly at an intensity it adjusts to match the background light, and its outline is erased. The dorsal spines, on the other hand, glow upwards — a sign warning larger predators what they are about to bite.
