Rare 'Ugly' Sofa Shark Found In Deep Scottish Waters

The word 'shark' when uttered causes most of us to imagine a massive great-white bearing down on its prey with its menacing teeth. A recent find of a rare species may change all that, leaving one with an image of ridicule.

Scientists who recently dove deep in Scottish waters sighted a Psuedotrakias microdo, colloquially 'False Catshark' that was not seen before. This fish is said to live at depths of 6,200 feet making it sightings rare, reports CNET. They can grow up to 9.5 feet in length and weigh over 60 kilos.

The False catshark also has another name that has made it the object of ridicule. With a flat nosed face and a billowy body that resembles a sofa, it has earned the moniker 'Sofa Shark'.

Given that their sightings are rare, the species' numbers are not known. It is however known that the False catshark practices oophagous, with unborn embryos eating eggs in the womb.

According to Scottish Sharking Tagging Programme, with the addition of False catshark, the number of elasmobranchii (fish that do not have a swim bladder) on its list has increased to 72.