Ninjas are noted for their stealth, well-honed combat skills, and often sleek yet mysterious appearance. A newly discovered shark displaying all of those qualities has appropriately been named, for common use purposes, the ninja lanternshark.
The predator hails from Central American Pacific waters, and among its many notable features is inky-black skin marked by surprisingly few light-producing marks. The smaller than usual quantity allows the animal to better match the natural dim glow of deep ocean waters. Thus, the ninja latnernshark has the considerable advantage of being able to take its next meal completely by surprise.
Though the team established a scientific name for the lanternshark, the task of coming up with a popular moniker for the swimmer was outsourced. Victoria Vásquez, the study’s lead author, gave that honor to her young relatives, aged 8-14, and they came up with the ninja reference.
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