As its name suggests, the bluntnose sixgill shark has a characteristically blunt rounded snout and six-gill slits on either side of its head, instead of the usual five seen in most shark species. The bluntnose sixgill shark’s closest relatives lived 200 million years ago during the Triassic period. This photo is from our 2027 Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary exploration.
This education resource is a hands-on activity to learn about ocean hotspots and how underwater mountain ridges are formed on Earth's tectonic plates: https://bit.ly/41f9rS3