Rare 'sofa shark' stuns scientists - Dispatch Times

Marine biologists doing a survey off the coast of Scotland were surprised to catch a rare, unusual looking “sofa shark” about 50 miles southwest off the Isle of Barra. It has been given various names, which are all as unique as the shark itself.

Pseudotriakis microdon, otherwise known as “false catshark” or “sofa shark”, are generally rare discoveries due to their habit of lurking around the bottom of the ocean. Its features are also similar to “blobfish” which is recently crowned as the ugliest animal in the world. It has the usual parts of a ground shark, with two dorsal fins, one anal fin, five gill slits and the protective nictitating membrane over its eyes. The interesting thing about this one, aside from the fact that the sofa shark is nearly never seen, is that it hadn’t been found in the area for 15 years.

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