A Skin-Less Shark
Back in July 2019, a blackmouth catshark, Galeus melastomus, caught in trawl at a depth of 1,640 feet (500 meters) deep off Cape Carbonara, Southern Sardina, was unusual. The shark had no teeth or dermal denticles. While this kind of morphological abnormality is potentially fatal, the observations published in the Journal of Fish Biology suggest that the specimen was in good health.
Mulas A, Bellodi A, Porcu C, et al. (2020) Living naked: first case of lack of skin-related structures in an elasmobranch, the blackmouth catshark (Galeus melastomus). J Fish Biol [published online ahead of print]. 10.1111/jfb.14468. doi:10.1111/jfb.14468