Researchers dropped a baited camera into the Pacific Ocean, then this secretive creature came to investigate

Scientists have documented leopard sharks (Stegostoma tigrinum) off the coast of Samoa, providing the first verifiable evidence that the species is found in these waters.

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Marine scientists were conducting surveys in the waters around Apolima (the smallest of Samoa’s four inhabited islands) on a National Geographic Pristine Seas expedition when they filmed the leopard shark around 16 metres deep. 

Somewhat confusingly, this species is also sometimes called the zebra shark. 

They captured the footage using used baited remote underwater video systems, also known as BRUVS. “The systems are left on the seabed to record marine wildlife for an hour at a time to capture footage of marine wildlife without the presence of divers,” says Jett Walker, a scientist with National Geographic Pristine Seas. 

In the footage, the curious shark swims directly in front of the camera. 

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This might look like a run-of-the-mill sighting but the researchers were amazed by the rarity of the encounter. 

“Leopard sharks are globally endangered and are rarely documented in this part of the Pacific,” explains Walker. “Although older checklists and databases have suggested that the species occurs in Samoa, those reports lacked independently verifiable evidence such as photographs, video, or a specimen.”

Their video provides robust evidence that this rarely seen species occurs in Samoan waters.

This demonstrates why BRUVs and other technology is so important for scientific research, says Walker: “A single camera deployment can reveal something entirely unexpected and add an important piece to our understanding of a species’ distribution.”

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Top image credit: National Geographic Pristine Seas