First-Ever Shark Sighting in Antarctica's Freezing Waters Stuns Scientists

• Scientists captured the first video footage of a shark in Antarctica's freezing waters, challenging long-held beliefs about marine life in extreme conditions.
• A 3-4 meter sleeper shark was spotted in January 2025 off the South Shetland Islands by a remotely operated camera from the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre.
• The shark was found at a depth of 490 meters, where water temperature was a near-freezing 1.27 degrees Celsius.
• Researchers previously believed sharks could not survive in the Antarctic Ocean, making this discovery a significant scientific breakthrough.
• The slow-moving sleeper shark may have been present in Antarctica for a long time unnoticed, or climate change could be driving sharks to colder waters.