Green-eyed baby shark, a poorly known predator, found off Albania for first time
Off the coast of Albania, trawlers hauled in their nets and began sifting through the catch. A patient scientist watched the process, scanning for the characteristic black coloring of a poorly known shark species.
One specimen caught his attention — and turned out to be a first-of-its-kind record.
Andrej Gajić spent seven months in 2024 observing the catch of “commercial deep-sea trawlers” based out of Vlorë to systematically document any sightings of kitefin sharks, a “rare” and poorly known deep-sea species, he wrote in a study published Aug. 28 in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Biology of Fishes.
During the project, Gajić spent almost 200 days at sea with two trawling vessels and checked the catch of other ships while at port, the study said. In total, he analyzed over 1,800 tows, or batches of specimens.
The effort led Gajić to find two kitefin sharks, one baby and one juvenile, the study said.
Kitefin sharks are “one of the least studied shark species in the Adriatic Sea, where only a few documented records exist,” Gajić said. These sharks have “dark coloration, rough skin, large green eyes” and a bioluminescent belly, “likely aiding in prey capture.”
The baby kitefin shark caught off Albania measured about 13 inches long and weighed about 4.5 ounces, the study said. Gajić identified it as the “first recorded neonate in the Adriatic Sea, representing the smallest free-ranging individual documented to date.”
The small shark still had “a healing umbilical scar” on its belly, the study said.
The other kitefin shark found off Vlorë was slightly larger, measuring about 19 inches long and weighing about 1 pound, Gajić said.
When Gajić dissected the sharks, he found they had an inner layer of skin on their bellies with a “distinct light blue coloration.”
Overall, the young kitefin sharks provide “insights into the early life-stage development and feeding ecology of the species, as well as highlighting the need for further investigations,” Gajić wrote.
Additionally, the sightings suggest that “the species’ occurrence in the deep waters of the southern Adriatic may be more widespread than previously acknowledged,” the study said. “The deep habitats off Vlorë could represent critical areas for the species.”
Vlorë is along the southwestern coast of Albania, a Balkan country bordering Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
This story was originally published September 8, 2025 at 12:58 PM with the headline "Green-eyed baby shark, a poorly known predator, found off Albania for first time."
