Scientists are now studying the photos of a rare and gruesome goblin shark accidentally caught in the Gulf of Mexico April 19 after they spotted another unusual deep-sea creature lying with the captured beast on the deck of the boat.
The picture shows the massive pink monster -- released after its accidental catch -- lying amongst a pile of tasty Gulf speciality Royal Red shrimp.
But mixed in with the shrimp are several giant isopods, which has led to much theorizing that the shark and its crustacean companions were actually part of an ecosystem developed around the carcass of a dead whale.
"While I think (the) goblin shark is cool and all, look at all those freakin' giant isopods!" tweeted marine biologist Andrew Thaler.
Giant isopods are related to crab and shrimp and can grow up to about the size of a cat. There are more than 20 individual species, but most look something like a deep-sea woodlouse.
Thaler and his colleagues say that while the isopods themselves are not that rare, to see so many hauled up with shark led them to believe that something else was going on in the deep- sea spot where they were caught.
"They're usually spread pretty thin and only occur in abundance around a food source," said Thaler via email. "So, I hypothesized that the trawl might have passed over a whalefall, which would also explain the goblin shark."
Thaler and his team plan to look for grant funding to take a submersible down to examine the site, which could be thousands of feet underwater according to bloggers at SouthernFriedScience.com.
A whalefall is what marine experts call the resting place of a dead whale fallen into the Bathyal or Abyssal zone of the ocean floor, sometimes down over a mile.
They have long been thought to lead to the development of special ecosystems built up around them, with animals feeding from the carcass left behind.
Back in 2007, a new species of sea anemone was discovered living among the bones of a whale found off the coast of Monterey, California, according to Livescience.com.
The isopods, which can grow over a foot long, turn up as well as other deep sea organisms like goblin sharks, which can survive on the decaying whale, sometimes for decades.
Friday's catch of one of the most mysterious shark species there is, by lifetime shrimper Carl Moore, 63, was hauled up off the Gulf side of Key West in about 2,000 feet of water.
The precise co-ordinates were 24 degrees and 14 minutes North and 82 degrees and 44 minutes West.
"I'll bet you all my Star Wars cards that, if you run an ROV (remortely operated vehicle) along that trawl line, you'll find a huge carcass." said Thalor on his Twitter page.
For Carl Moore, the shark was the catch of his life and has led to appearances on media outlets across the globe with many hungry to know more about the elusive goblin shark, seen in the area only once before.
Moore photographed the shark to show his 3-year-old grandson who declared, "Wow Pappa," when he saw it.
Moore returned the shark to its home, where it swam to the depths and took its secrets with it.
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