A skinless and toothless shark found in waters off the coast of Sardinia is thought to have fallen victim to contaminated seas and climate change.
Commercial fishers are behind the newly-confirmed major marine discovery after pulling the blackmouth catshark from a depth of 1,640 feet below the surface in July 2019.
They later handed it over to a team of researchers at the University of Cagliari, in Italy, who said the animal is the first of its kind to be recorded.
"As far as is known, in this paper the first case of lacking of skin-related structures (epidermis, stratum laxum, dermal denticles and teeth) in a free-swimming elasmobranch, the blackmouth catshark, Galeus melastomus, is reported," reads the researchers' study, which was published last month in the Journal of Fish Biology.
Despite the shark's deformities, its predatory abilities appeared to have remained unhindered, with the creature seemingly finding novel ways to adapt.
The research team found 14 creatures inside the animal's stomach, with the remains suggesting its prey had been swallowed whole.
The study says the shark may have lost its skin and teeth after being exposed to chemically contaminated sites, or as a result of acidification due to climate change.
The shark was a pale yellowish colour all over, except for its eyes, abdomen and gills, which were the only places on its body found to have pigment.
Its teeth had also been reduced to rudimental structures that were not visible to the naked eye.
"It is unclear how the abnormality impact the behaviour, physiology or ecology of this individual," the researchers' study said.
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"Given the functions performed by the skin, the lack of dermal denticles, epidermis and stratum laxum is likely to have modified swimming, maybe increasing its energetic cost and slowing it down."
