A shark where scientists didn’t expect one: First-ever footage captured in Antarctica’s icy deep

First shark filmed in Antarctica: A massive sleeper shark cruising slowly over the barren seabed of the Antarctic Ocean surprised researchers who never expected sharks in these frigid waters. Captured on camera in January 2025, the shark measured an estimated 10 to 13 feet long, making it an impressive presence in an environment long thought to be off-limits to these predators, as per a report.

First-Ever Sleeper Shark Footage Captured in Antarctica

Alan Jamieson, founding director of the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre said, “We went down there not expecting to see sharks because there’s a general rule of thumb that you don’t get sharks in Antarctica,” adding, “And it’s not even a little one either. It’s a hunk of a shark. These things are tanks,” as quoted by the NY Post.

The camera was positioned off the South Shetland Islands near the Antarctic Peninsula, about 1,608 feet deep in near-freezing water of 34.29 degrees. While skates, relatives of sharks, are known to inhabit the area, this was the first recorded sighting of a shark so far south.


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Could Climate Change Be Pushing Sharks Farther South

Peter Kyne, a conservation biologist at Charles Darwin University, confirmed that no prior records exist of sharks this far into the Antarctic Ocean. He noted that climate change and warming oceans could be encouraging sharks to explore colder southern waters, but it’s also possible these sleeper sharks have long lived there unnoticed.

Kyne said, “This is great. The shark was in the right place, the camera was in the right place and they got this great footage,” adding, “It’s quite significant," as quoted by the NY Post.

Why Researchers Believed Sharks Didn’t Live in Antarctica

The shark maintained its depth along a seabed that sloped into even deeper water, staying in the warmest layer among several water layers stacked above it. Jamieson explained that other Antarctic sharks likely inhabit the same depths, feeding on whale carcasses, giant squids, and other creatures that sink to the ocean floor.

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Why This Antarctic Shark Discovery Is “Quite Significant”

With few research cameras operating at these depths and only during the Southern Hemisphere’s short summer months, the discovery highlights just how much of Antarctica’s deep ocean remains unexplored. Jamieson said, “The other 75% of the year, no one’s looking at all. And so this is why, I think, we occasionally come across these surprises,” as quoted by the NY Post.

FAQs

What kind of shark was filmed in Antarctica?

A sleeper shark measuring an estimated 10 to 13 feet long.

Where exactly was the shark spotted?

Off the South Shetland Islands near the Antarctic Peninsula.