(CNN/WHDH) — Researchers have discovered a new species of sharks that are much smaller than the menacing great white but arguably more unique.
The newly-discovered species is a tiny subset of sharks dubbed the American pocket shark, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The sharks are described as a species of kitefin fish that have a light-emitting pocket organ near its front fins.
They are able to attract their prey by glowing in the dark as opposed to having to hunt for food like other species.
“The new species is distinguished from its congener by a putative pit organ located ventrally just posterior of the lower jaw margin center, photophores irregularly distributed along with many areas of the body, 16 distinct ventral-abdominal photophore aggregations, and two differences associated with the dentition,” scientists said.
Researchers say only two pocket sharks have ever been captured.
One was caught in the Gulf of Mexico in February 2010. The other was discovered in 1979 in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
(Copyright (c) 2025 CNN. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)