Underwatertimes.com News Service - April 11, 2007 17:18 EST
Rhina Ancylostoma

Marine biologist Raguib Uddin Ahmed with the rare fish in Cox's Bazar.

A rare species of fish, which looks like a shark, was caught from deep sea around 20-25 kilometers south of St. Martin's Island yesterday. It has been kept at the under-construction Panowa Bay Park museum of at Cox's Bazar.

Marine biologist Raguib Uddin Ahmed at the museum said he spotted the rare fish at Cox's Bazar fish landing station and took it from fishermen.

Raguib Uddin said the fish is a type of shark and its scientific name is Rhina Ancylostoma that belongs to the family Rhinobatidae.

Jiku Dash, a local fisherman said, he never saw such a fish in the sea.

The fish is about three and half feet long and weighs about 8 kilograms.

Raguib Uddin said, it is grows up to 270 cm in length and its maximum weight is 135 kg.

It is a coral reef-associated creature found at a depth of 10 to 100 feet in the sea. It is found in Indo-West Pacific, Red Sea and East Africa to Papua New Guinea, north to Japan, south to New South Wales and Australia.

The commonly available guitarfish have sharp or pointed head. But it has round head, high pectoral fins and heavy ridges of spiky thorns over eyes and on the back and shoulders. Its jaws are heavily ridged and it has strong teeth.

It's colour is brownish and the body is dotted with white spots, except the head. The back part of its body resembles a whale shark.

It is an ovoviviparous creature that means it lay eggs,

The fish becoming extinct in the world.

It is listed in International Red List Book of IUCN (International Union of Conservation of Nature) as a vulnerable species.

"We need to know more about it and take immediate steps for conservation", Raguib Uddin said.