One-eyed White Shark Found in Maluku Waters

_{One-eyed white shark baby found in Maluku waters. (Photo: Pisces Fleet Sportfishing / The Sun)}

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FISHERMEN in Maluku waters was shocked by the discovery of a one-eyed white shark in the belly of a large shark that died trapped in fishing nets. When the big shark was dissected to remove its stomach contents, the fishermen were surprised to find a small white shark hidden inside.

The baby shark has one large eye in the middle of its forehead along with a milky white body and perfectly shaped fins. It is believed the mother shark was pregnant and carried a rare fetus while trapped in the net.

"We found three babies in the shark's stomach, but one of them looked strange with only one eye, the color was also strange like milk," said one fisherman, as quoted by The Sun , Saturday (17/10/2020).

The fishermen on board reported their strange catch to the local marine office before handing over the one-eyed baby white shark for testing.

"The creature was dead when it was found," explained the fisherman.

The shark's condition, known as cyclopia, is a rare inherited disorder characterized by the failure of the front of the brain to split the orbit of the eye into two cavities. It occurs on a spectrum of brain and facial defects known as holoprosencephaly, which in severe cases can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth.

This isn't the first time a one-eyed shark has appeared. In 2011 it was reported that one of the extremely rare creatures was found in the womb of a bull in the Gulf of California.

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