LOOK: Taiwanese fishermen catch the very odd, elusive ‘viper shark’

Just imagine reeling one of those things in

The ocean is filled with all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures, for instance, these cute little guys which were caught recently by some Taiwanese fishermen.

They are “viper sharks” or “viper dogfish” a rare species of shark that was only first identified in 1986 off the coast of Japan. Shifting between waters 270–360 meters deep during the day and less than 150 meters deep during the night, this elusive fish is only very rarely seen swimming in the waters off Japan, Hawaii, and Taiwan. It feeds mostly on bony fish, impaling them with its teeth before swallowing them whole.

The viper sharks have distinctive black markings on their underside which glow in the dark, containing large numbers of light producing photophores.

Once spotted, they are pretty easy to recognize.

According to Taiwan News, scientists fishing off the coast of Taitung County managed to catch five of these suckers during a sea survey. However, unfortunately none of them survived being hauled into our world.