Incredible Pacific Sleeper Sharks footage captures feeding scenes 3,000ft deep
Scientists observed the fascinating scramble after dropping a dead cow into the South China Sea near the island of Hainan.
Pacific sleeper sharks are rarely spotted that far south, with the giant species usually preferring the colder waters of the North Pacific.
The discovery also extends their known range, the Economic Times reported.
The incredible footage appeared to show the predators queueing to feed from the bovine carcass in a hierarchical system.
Individuals approaching the carcass from behind appeared to take precedence over those in front already feeding.
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Researchers from Sun Yat Sen University in Guangzhou and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory lowered the bovine carcass to a depth of 1,629 metres and placed cameras to observe the behaviour of marine animals.
They were surprised to find huge sleeper sharks among those gathering for the meat.
The large species, which can grow to nearly four metres long, is usually found in the North Pacific, including in the Bering Sea and in the Gulf of Alaska.
Pacific sleeper sharks are thought to be both scavengers and successful stealth predators as they make little noise underwater.
Interestingly, all the sharks captured feeding from the cow carcass were females, possibly indicating the area may serve as a nursery ground for large shark species.
Other shark species including the megamouth shark are known to have female bias in the South China Sea.
Pacific sleeper sharks can live in depths as low as 2,000 metres below sea level.
According to the Shark Research Institute, they prefer continental shelves and slopes, where they rely on stealth predatory behaviour and scavenging.
While they are typically found in the icy waters of the North Pacific and near the Arctic Circle, the latest study shows they can range much further south.
Very rare, scientists say, given that Pacific sleeper sharks are thought to prefer far colder waters, such as in the Bering Sea and Baja California.
The discovery in the South China Sea considerably extends the known range of the species. More Trending
Because of the depth of their typical habitat, much remains unknown about Pacific sleeper sharks, including exactly how they feed and reproduce.
However previous sightings of the rare species in the southern hemisphere have been known.
A huge Pacific sleeper was spotted in the Tonga Trench in January of this year.
The unusual discovery was found at a depth of around 1,600 metres where water temperatures are usually around 2.5C.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
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