The total number of teeth of the dwarf lantern shark is between 50 and 57, that is, it has between 20 to 23 teeth in the upper jaw, and 30 to 34 teeth in the lower jaw. The dwarf lantern shark is generally dark brown in the dorsal region, while the ventral region color is a velvety black that is bioluminescent. Also, it has big bulbous eyes that enable it to navigate in the dark environment under the sea. The biggest part of its body is a flattened head that occupies about one-third of the entire body. Due to this small length, it is possible to place the dwarf lantern shark on the palm. The whole length of the dwarf lantern fish is between 6 to 8 inches in length (with some claimed to grow up to 18 inches), the young sharks can be as small as 2.2 to 2.4 inches at birth. The scientific name of this fish species is Etmopterus perryi derived from a notable shark expert Perry Gilbert.ĭwarf lantern shark fish is an exceedingly small fish when compared to other fish species in the dogfish family. Dwarf lantern sharks are often targeted by parasites which shorten the lifespan of these creatures. The dwarf lantern shark belongs to the dog shark family ‘etmopteridae,’ and is the smallest species in this family. The lifespan of the dwarf lantern shark is estimated between 20-30 years. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the dwarf lantern shark has been labeled as data deficient, meaning there is not enough research on this species of fish to adequately assess their status. It is unknown if they are an endangered species. They rarely swim out of their ecological niche under the sea between depths of 6 feet, which makes the species difficult to catch and observe. The Dwarf lantern shark was recently discovered in 1964. The name of the shark comes from the fact that they are a small (dwarf) shark and are bioluminescent (lantern) in the dark environment of the deep sea level (Benthic zone) where they dwell. The dwarf lantern shark is among the smallest species of fish in the world. Dwarf lantern shark (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
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