Scientists Discover Sharks Living Inside An Active Volcano

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Sharks can be scary as hell when encountered while swimming around in the ocean, so imagine how terrifying it would be to come across them inside an active volcano!

It may sound like the plot of a cheesy sci-fi movie like Sharknado but it's true- back in 2015 scientists discovered living sharks inside Kavachi, an active underwater volcano in the Solomon Islands.

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Researchers sent down a robotic camera that captured the stunning footage of a Pacific sleeper shark, hammerhead sharks and silky sharks swimming around inside the acidic and super-heated environment like it's no big deal:

“Divers who have gotten close to the outer edge of the volcano have had to back away because of how hot it is or because they were getting mild skin burns from the acid water,” Phillips said. “These large animals are living in what you have to assume is much hotter and much more acidic water, and they’re just hanging out. It makes you question what type of extreme environment these animals are adapted to. What sort of changes have they undergone? Are there only certain animals that can withstand it?

(YouTube Link)

-Via Did You Know?

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So, it's not like they're *trapped* inside a volcano. The caldera is under the water, and the sharks seem to prefer to swim into it, for some reason.

A clue might be found in the trailing bits that are attached to the sleeper shark in the video. That's a parasitic copepod (a small crustacean) that's burrowed into its skin. Perhaps the sharks are swimming through the hot, acidic water to kill external parasites?
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