After taking a peek at the creature in the image - and also at the "clue" we included in the title of the story - it became clear that it is an aquatic animal, right? And know that it is a very rare animal and about which very little is known, precisely because it is so unusual that they are caught. Take another look at the copy:

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→< https: //t.co/mEXxzlIWd4 pic.twitter.com/Eq0zbQJ1w5

- ?????? Taiwan News (@TW_nextmedia) January 10, 2018

Almost an alien

According to Rae Paoletta of Inverse, the animal above is one of five viper sharks that were accidentally caught by fishermen off the coast of Taiwan. These slightly sinister-looking fish usually live around 300 meters deep and are seen so rarely that their existence was not documented until 1986.

According to Rae, as far as is known, viper sharks ( Trigonognathus kabeyai ) live deep in the seas of Hawaii, Japan, and Taiwan and rarely surface. Based on the analysis of the few specimens captured so far, scientists have found that these fish can measure up to 54 centimeters in length and are likely to feed on other fish. See your little teeth:

5 Rare (Maniacal-Looking) Viper Sharks Caught in Taiwan https://t.co/hb0nLq5ROw pic.twitter.com/G2cv5LIVZJ

- Azula (@azula) January 9, 2018

Viper sharks are equipped with triangular jaws that protrude outward to snap at their prey - and that's what gives them this almost alien aspect. As you have seen in the image above, these fish have sharp teeth like needles and, according to scientists, they are capable of snapping up their entire victims. Luckily for humans (and sharks), as these creatures do not usually surface very much, we are not part of their usual menu.

Rare and bright

Another interesting feature about viper sharks is that although they have completely black skin, as with about 75% of the deep-sea animals, they are bioluminescent.

Imagine taking a bite of such an animal ... (Science Alert / Fisheries Research Institute)

According to Michelle Starr of the Science Alert website, viper sharks have an organ in the womb called a photophore that has cells capable of emitting light. Scientists are unsure why these animals have such a structure, but suspect it may be related to the attraction of mating partners.

An alternative would also be that the structure would be used as a camouflage, creating a kind of “back light” effect to protect viper sharks from predators coming from deeper places in search of food, as these fish apparently rise to closer regions. from the surface after sunset to feed.

Of the five specimens captured now, they appeared in the nets while the fishermen caught other fish, and four were already dead by the time they were pulled from the water. Scientists tried to keep the fifth alive, but the animal died a day later.