Scientists discovered the new species of polar sharks

Specialists of Russian Arctic National Park and employees of the national geographical society of the USA for the first time found polar sharks on the water area of the archipelago Franz Joseph Land.

By the words of the director of the national park Roman Yershov, this is the only species of sharks, which lives in the arctic waters. Earlier it was considered that these sea predators live only in the southern part of the Barents Sea or near the coast of Spitsbergen. The length of the polar shark makes 6.5 meters, its weight makes about one ton, however some sharks reach the length in 8 meters and the weight more than 2.5 tons. The new species have features, which are not characteristic for other sharks. Thus, products of their life activity are excreted through skin, therefore, their meat is permeated with ammonia and cannot be eaten and even can cause death in some cases. Organism of the polar shark produces special proteins – antifreezes – for survival in cold water. As it is informed on the portal smartnews.ru, the polar shark was discovered owing to equipment constructed by American engineers. The researchers submerged a camera inside a plastic ball under water, the apparatus made pictures of everything around in autonomic mode during 6 hours. The scientists managed to make pictures of the sea spider described by the expedition of Benjamin Leigh Smith in 1881, new species of some sea-weeds and others.