Shark

Whitecheek lanternshark

Etmopterus alphus

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic A single ocean

Depth

From 472 to 792 m

Size

Up to 39 cm

Diet

Poorly known. Its close relatives eat small fish, squid and shrimp

Zone

Twilight zone · 200 – 1,000 m

Key facts

• A white spot on each cheek gave it its name.
• It is known only off Mozambique and on Walters Shoal, south of Madagascar. It was described in 2016.
• Like other lanternsharks, its belly glows. This glow erases its silhouette when seen from below.
• Each lanternshark species has its own light pattern on its flanks.

Verified sources

1. Shark-References, Etmopterus alphus
2. FishBase, Etmopterus alphus
3. National Geographic, Glowing sharks
4. ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research, Velvet belly lanternshark

In the game: To observe

In the same zone

Purpleback flying squidSthenoteuthis oualaniensis Ningaloo giant siphonophoreApolemia sp. Giant Arctic copepodCalanus hyperboreus Northern wolffishAnarhichas denticulatus Orange siphonophoreMarrus orthocanna Giant warty squidMoroteuthopsis longimana (formerly Kondakovia longimana)