I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like our species overlooks the world in so many ways. Do you know what I mean? Think about it: have you ever had a thought drift across your mind that made you think about your own perception of reality? Have you ever thought that you might have walked somewhere new that the world has never seen before? The truth is, there is so much out there in the big world that we humans do not know about. There are so many great discoveries waiting to be made in any field.

One recent example of a new discovery is the Australian Narrow-nosed Spookfish, A.K.A. (Harriotta avia). This species of ghost shark was found in an area of the ocean floor off the east coast of New Zealand, known as the Chatham Rise. This species of ghost shark was discovered by researchers from New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). Before this discovery was made by scientists, the spookfish was actually considered part of a globally distributed species. However, there was crucial information hiding in the shark’s DNA. The DNA housed genetic and morphological differences that separated this shark species from the rest.

DNA was collected from the Australian Narrow-nosed Spookfish and was found to be closely related to sharks and rays. This species of shark belongs to a group known as the Chondrichthyes. This class’s main synapomorphy, or feature, is that fish in this class possess cartilaginous skeletons. In addition, the Australian Narrow-nosed Spookfish is part of the Chimaeriformes group, which includes Ratfish, Rabbitfish, Ghostsharks, and Spookfish.

CNN gives more information on what NIWA had to say about their discovery, as they state: “Harriotta avia is unique due to its elongated, narrow and depressed snout; long, slender trunk; large eyes; and very long, broad pectoral fins. It is a lovely chocolate brown color,” said Brit Finucci, a fisheries scientist at NIWA, in the statement. Brit Finucci of NIWA also states, “Ghost sharks like this one are largely confined to the ocean floor, living in depths of up to 2,600m (8,530 feet). Their habitat makes them hard to study and monitor, meaning we don’t know a lot about their biology or threat status, but it makes discoveries like this even more exciting.”

CNN gives more information on Brit Finucci of NIWA, saying, “We don’t actually know a lot about ghost sharks,” Finucci told CNN at the time. “What we do know mostly comes from adult specimens. So it’s very rare and very uncommon to find juveniles of a lot of these species, so that’s why I got quite excited.”

I believe one important thing to realize is that we build our own perceptions of the world around us. We humans are the creators of our world; we all live on the same planet but inhabit different worlds of perspective. Though this is true, the fact that the natural world doesn’t care about our perspectives is true as well. The opportunity for discovery is always going to be there, and so is the race for discovery. However, I believe that if you run the race of discovery with the sneakers of curiosity and respect for your surroundings, your chances of reaching the finish line of accomplishment in any field significantly increase.