SCIENTISTS have observed an unusual meeting of prickly sharks near an underwater mountain.
Experts aren't sure why the sharks decided to meet up and claim this is a world-first event.
The rarely-seen prickly sharks were spotted in the ocean just off a seamount near Panama.
Prickly sharks are deep sea-dwelling creatures and this is the first time they've been spotted in this area, according to Live Science.
The unusual event has since been documented in the Journal of Fish Biology.
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It reveals how 12 prickly sharks were spotted together in May 2022.
They were spotted at a depth of 151 to 350 meters down in the Cordillera de Coiba seamounts of Pacific Panama.
"This discovery expands our knowledge of the distribution and habitat use of this rare deep-sea species.
"It underscores the potential significance of the Cordillera de Coiba seamounts, an offshore marine protected area, as a critical habitat for E. cookei, a species threatened by commercial fishing," a team of researchers wrote.
The prickly shark is scientifically known as Echinorhinus cookei Pietschmann 1928.
It gets its prickly name because its body is covered in shark teeth-like nodules.
They grow up to 13 feet and can live up to 3,280 feet below the ocean surface.
This depth makes them difficult for humans to observe and makes the meetup event even more unusual.
There has been no previous evidence to show that this species of sharks comes together to meet.
The reason for doing so is still unknown and could be due to feeding or reproduction.
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An underwater camera and robotic arm were used to make the discovery.
It was part of an 11-dive investigation around the seamounts.
The researchers hope to highlight the new to conserve the area.
