Far below the waves, where sunlight never reaches, scientists keep finding sharks that make their own light. The newest arrival is a pocket-sized predator that glows in the dark, a fresh species that turns the deep sea into a living light show and forces researchers to rethink how much life is still hiding in the ocean’s shadows. I see this discovery not as an isolated curiosity but as the latest chapter in a decade-long story of glowing sharks, from tiny “pocket” species to giants that rank among the largest luminous animals on Earth.
The pocket shark that fits in your hand
The idea of a shark that can slip into your palm sounds like a child’s toy, yet the real animal is stranger than fiction. Earlier work by a team that included NOAA Fisheries scientist Mark Grace showed that a small kitefin shark, barely longer than a human hand, could literally fit in a pocket and still carry the full arsenal of a deep-sea hunter, including light-producing organs that let it glow in the dark. That research, reported on Jul 23, 2019, described how this tiny shark, linked to the kitefin family, combined a compact body with specialized structures that set it apart from familiar coastal species, and it is within this lineage that the newest glowing shark species has now been recognized, building directly on the anatomical clues that NOAA Fisheries scientist Mark Grace and colleagues first mapped out.
Those early specimens hinted that the deep sea was harboring more than one kind of pocket-sized shark, and taxonomists began to look closely at every preserved individual. The new species, identified as part of the same broad group, carries the same improbable combination of traits: a body small enough to measure in centimeters, glands and photophores that let it emit light, and a lifestyle tuned to the pitch-black waters far below the surface. By tying the latest find back to the Jul 23, 2019 description of a small kitefin shark that glows, researchers can show that this is not a one-off oddity but part of a growing roster of luminous pocket sharks that challenge how I think about what a shark can be.
A second pocket shark species joins the family
The newest twist in this story is the recognition of a second pocket shark species, Mollisquama mississippiensis, that confirms these animals are not evolutionary accidents but a distinct branch of the shark family tree. Marine biologists reported on Jun 30, 2025 that this shark measures just 14 cm, making it a true miniature compared with the better known coastal predators, and they formally identified it as the second pocket shark species ever described. In that report, the researchers emphasized that this Mollisquama specimen, with its compact body and light-emitting structures, adds weight to the idea that the deep ocean is still teeming with undiscovered sharks, a point underscored when Marine biologists identified a new pocket shark species (Mollisquama mississippiensis) measuring just 14cm.
What makes this second species so important is not only its size but its confirmation that Mollisquama is a real, diverse genus rather than a one-specimen curiosity. The Jun 30, 2025 account notes that Marine researchers now see Mollisquama mississippiensis as part of a broader pattern of deep-sea diversity, with NOAA scientists estimating that many shark species remain undiscovered, a point reinforced when Marine biologists highlighted how many shark species are still undiscovered, according to NOAA. For me, the emergence of this second pocket shark species cements the idea that glowing sharks are not fringe anomalies but a recurring solution to life in the deep sea.
From Gulf of Mexico mystery to named species
The path to naming these glowing sharks has been anything but straightforward. One of the most striking examples began when a tiny shark was first pulled from the eastern Gulf of Mexico in 2010, then sat in a collection for years before scientists realized what they had. Reporting on Jul 21, 2019 explained that the shark, later recognized as a new species, had been discovered in the eastern Gulf of Mexico in 2010 and only fully described after careful anatomical work, a timeline that shows how easily deep-sea animals can slip past us until someone looks closely at a jarred specimen, as detailed in coverage that noted how the shark was first discovered in 2010 in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
By the time taxonomists finished their work, they had enough evidence to place this animal in the pocket shark group and to show that its glowing organs were not incidental but central to its biology. A later social media report on Jul 10, 2025 revisited that history, noting how scientists fast-forwarded from the 2010 catch to a 2019 formal description and then to the present recognition of a new glowing pocket shark in the Gulf of Mexico, complete with photophores scattered across its body that enhance its glow in deep water. That account highlighted how the shark’s tiny light-producing organs, or photophores, are spread across its skin, reinforcing the idea that this species is built to shine in darkness, a detail captured in the description of photophores, tiny light-producing organs, scattered across its body.
The American Pocket Shark and its glowing trick
Among the most charismatic of these discoveries is The American Pocket Shark, a tiny animal that glows in the dark and uses its light in a way that is still surprising even to shark experts. Reports from Jul 21, 2019 described how Scientists working in the Gulf of Mexico identified this species and showed that it can secrete a bioluminescent fluid to attract prey, a behavior that turns the usual predator-prey script on its head by using light as a lure rather than just camouflage. In that coverage, the animal was explicitly named The American Pocket Shark and linked to the Gulf of Mexico, with researchers emphasizing how its glowing secretions give it a unique hunting strategy, as summarized in the account that noted how Scientists discover new species of tiny shark that glows in the dark in the Gulf of Mexico and call it The American Pocket Shark.
Taxonomically, the American Pocket Shark’s story crystallized in 2019, when scientists officially identified it as a new species and described it in the journal Zootaxa. A later summary on Jul 9, 2025 recalled how, in 2019, researchers confirmed that this shark was distinct from previously known species and emphasized that its combination of pocket-like glands and bioluminescent abilities set it apart, a milestone that shows how formal naming lags behind discovery in the deep sea. That retrospective stressed that the shark’s unique traits were carefully cataloged in Zootaxa, underscoring the importance of rigorous description in turning a mysterious specimen into a recognized species, as captured in the note that In 2019, scientists officially identified a new species of pocket shark and described it in Zootaxa.
How glowing sharks light up the deep
To understand why these sharks glow, it helps to zoom out from the pocket species and look at the broader cast of luminous sharks that share their world. A report from Mar 4, 2021 detailed how three species of deep-sea sharks, including the kitefin, were found to be among the world’s largest glowing animals, with their bodies covered in light-producing cells that create a soft, ghostly illumination in the dark ocean. That work showed that bioluminescence in sharks is not a rare quirk but a widespread adaptation, with some species using light to blend into the faint glow from above and others possibly using it to communicate or confuse predators, a pattern laid out in the description of three species of deep-sea sharks as some of the world’s largest glowing animals.
Other coverage has emphasized how these glowing strategies play out in real hunting scenarios. A Jul 21, 2019 account of the American Pocket Shark noted that, even when the animal is not visibly glowing in photographs, it secretes a bioluminescent fluid that it uses to attract prey, and that sharks in general are known to stalk their targets from below, using light to stay invisible against the faint surface glow before launching a stealthy attack. That description of sharks using bioluminescence for both offense and camouflage helps explain why so many deep-sea species, from pocket sharks to larger predators, have evolved light-producing organs, a point underscored in the observation that the American Pocket Shark secretes a bioluminescent fluid and sharks are known to stalk prey while remaining invisible from below.
Gulf of Mexico discoveries and rare cousins
The Gulf of Mexico has become a surprising hotspot for these luminous finds, with multiple reports converging on the same deep basin. On Jul 21, 2019, one account highlighted that scientists had discovered a new species of tiny shark that glows in the dark in the Gulf of Mexico and stressed that Both of the known pocket shark species are separate, each from separate oceans, and both are exceedingly rare. That detail, which contrasted the Gulf specimen with a Pacific relative, underscored how isolated and unusual these sharks are, and it came from a researcher at the Tulane Biodiversity Research Institute who emphasized that the two species, though related, occupy very different waters, as captured in the statement that Both are separate species, each from separate oceans, and both are exceedingly rare.
Another Jul 21, 2019 report framed the same Gulf of Mexico discovery as part of a broader pattern of tiny sharks that glow in the dark, noting that the American Pocket Shark secretes a bioluminescent fluid and that its formal description appeared in the animal taxonomy journal Zootaxa. That coverage reinforced the idea that the Gulf is not just a place of oil rigs and fisheries but also a frontier for deep-sea biodiversity, where small, glowing sharks can surface in nets and then reshape scientific understanding years later. For me, the fact that multiple independent reports converge on the Gulf of Mexico as the home of The American Pocket Shark and its glowing relatives shows how a single region can anchor a global story about rare, bioluminescent predators, a point made explicit when one account stated that the recently discovered American Pocket Shark uses bioluminescent fluid to attract prey.
Giant glowing sharks near New Zealand
While pocket sharks steal headlines with their size, some of their cousins rank among the largest glowing animals ever recorded. On Mar 4, 2021, researchers reported that a deep-sea shark known as Dalatias licha, or the kitefin shark, is the biggest bioluminescent vertebrate found on land or sea so far, with individuals large enough to dwarf the tiny Mollisquama species. That work, based on specimens near New Zealand, showed that this kitefin shark uses a blanket of light-producing cells to glow across much of its body, turning a sizable predator into a moving lantern in the deep ocean, a finding captured in the description of Dalatias licha as the biggest bioluminescent vertebrate found on land or sea.
Other reports from Mar 2, 2021 echoed that conclusion, noting that scientists had just found what they called We Just Found The Largest Luminous Glowing Shark Species in The World and that this glowing kitefin shark represented the largest known bioluminescent shark in the world. That framing placed the kitefin at the top of a size spectrum that stretches from 14 cm pocket sharks to meter-long giants, all united by the ability to produce light in the dark. For me, the contrast between Mollisquama mississippiensis and Dalatias licha shows that bioluminescence is not confined to one niche but spans a wide range of shark sizes and lifestyles, a point driven home in the report that described We Just Found The Largest Luminous Glowing Shark Species in The World.
A 2024 glow-up near New Zealand and what comes next
The story of glowing sharks did not stop with the 2019 pocket shark or the 2021 kitefin revelations. In 2024, scientists working near New Zealand reported a new species of bioluminescent shark that once again expanded the known roster of luminous predators, an event that was later summarized on Jun 6, 2025 as an exciting finding that amazed both researchers and marine life enthusiasts. That account stressed that, in 2024, scientists made this discovery in the sea’s vast and shadowy world, reinforcing the idea that even in well-studied regions like New Zealand’s waters, new glowing sharks are still coming to light, as described in the note that In 2024, scientists made a new species of bioluminescent shark discovery near New Zealand.
More recent commentary has circled back to the kitefin shark, with an Aug 23, 2025 post explaining that Scientists have identified the kitefin shark as the largest known bioluminescent vertebrate and describing it as a deep-sea predator that glows in the dark while cruising through the deep. That description ties together years of research on Dalatias licha and positions it as a flagship species for understanding how large animals use light in the deep sea. When I put that alongside the tiny Mollisquama mississippiensis and The American Pocket Shark, the pattern is clear: from the Gulf of Mexico to New Zealand, from Jul 21, 2019 to in 2024 and beyond, glowing sharks are emerging as a diverse, global group that is only beginning to be mapped, a reality summed up in the observation that Scientists have identified the kitefin shark as the largest known bioluminescent vertebrate.
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