A marine researcher says he has video evidence of the first recorded shark in the Antarctic Ocean.
cruising languidly over a barren seabed far too deep for the sun’s rays to illuminate was an unexpected sight.before this sleeper shark lumbered warily and briefly into the spotlight of a video camera, researcher Alan Jamieson said this week.
The shark, filmed in January 2025, was a substantial specimen with an estimated length of between 3 and 4 meters .“We went down there not expecting to see sharks because there’s a general rule of thumb that you don’t get sharks in Antarctica,” Jamieson said.The camera operated by the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre, which investigates life in the deepest parts of the world’s oceans, was positioned off the South Shetland Islands near the . That is well inside the boundaries of the Antarctic Ocean, also known as the Southern Ocean, which is defined as below the 60-degree south latitude line.The shark was 490 meters deep where the water temperature was a near-freezing 1.27 degrees Celsius . A skate appears in frame motionless on the seabed and seemingly unperturbed by the passing shark. The skate, a shark relative that looks like a stingray, was no surprise since scientists already knew their range extended that far south. Jamieson, who is the founding director of the University of Western Australia-based research center, said he could find no record of another shark found in the Antarctic Ocean. Peter Kyne, a Charles Darwin University conservation biologist independent of the research center, agreed that a shark had never before been recorded so far south. Climate change and warming oceans could potentially be driving sharks to the Southern Hemisphere’s colder waters, but there was limited data on range changes near Antarctica because of the region’s remoteness, Kyne said.“This is great. The shark was in the right place, the camera was in the right place and they got this great footage,” Kyne said. “It’s quite significant.” The sleeper shark population in the Antarctic Ocean was likely sparse and difficult for humans to detect, Jamieson said. The photographed shark was maintaining a depth of around 500 meters along a seabed that sloped into much deeper water. The shark maintained that depth because that was the warmest layer of several water layers stacked upon each other to the surface, Jamieson said. The Antarctic Ocean is heavily layered, or stratified, to a depth of around 1,000 meters because of conflicting properties including colder, denser water from below not readily mixing with fresh water running off melting ice from above. Jamieson expects other Antarctic sharks live at the same depth, feeding on the carcasses of whales, giant squids and other marine creatures that die and sink to the bottom. There are few research cameras positioned at that specific depth in Antarctic waters. Those that are can only operate during the Southern Hemisphere summer months, from December through February. “The other 75% of the year, no one’s looking at all. And so this is why, I think, we occasionally come across these surprises,” Jamieson said. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Mortgate rates dip to the 5% range for the first time since 2023Jacksonville TikToker uncovers account posting women, children without their consentLocal civil rights leader talks history and legacy of Jesse Jackson2026 High School 9:12 Media DayAbuse, neglect allegations prompt request for state to investigate Union County Animal ControlEpiscopal Boys Soccer Prepares for SemisIt might feel like Spring today, but hold off on planting: More cold is comingPassion 4 Pets: London is looking for a furever homeAccused gunman in murder-for-hire case withdraws guilty pleaIncreased focus on teen 'takeovers' to make sure they don't get out of controlJacksonville family loses everything in electrical fire at home of 18 yearsGreen Cove Springs couple to bike to DC for screening reform‘He’s a complete miracle’: Jacksonville toddler makes full recovery after near-drowningPaid parking has officially begun in downtown Fernandina BeachThis week is a good window to get your pruning started ahead of SpringCity leaders, community react to chaos outside Avenues Mall over weekendSunday’s rainfall insufficient to ease persistent droughtHenry Tenon withdraws guilty pleaMajor makeover coming to one of downtown St. Augustine’s busiest corridorsFamily of man killed by JSO questions use of deadly force given his mental health historyMayor Deegan, officials, warn residents about increased wildfire riskFamily demands answers after JSO officers fatally shoot man in driveway
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Surprise shark sighting in Antarctica’s near-freezing deepA marine researcher says he has video evidence of the first recorded shark in the Antarctic Ocean. Alan Jamieson says many experts had thought sharks didn’t exist in the frigid waters of Antarctica before a sleeper shark was recorded last year.
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