The world's smallest shark, fits in the palm of your hand

The dwarf lanternshark is the smallest shark in the world, growing to a maximum length of less than 30cm.

The world's oceans and some lakes are filled with a wide variety of sharks, from the famous great white shark to the hammerhead shark, bull shark to medium-sized sharks and finally the smallest shark of all: the dwarf lantern shark.

Dwarf lantern sharks are less than 30cm long - (Photo: Chip Clark).

The dwarf lanternshark ( Etmopterus perryi ) is a rare and elusive lanternshark of the genus Etmopterus. It is known from only a few sightings or accidental captures off the coast of South America.

According to IFLScience , the dwarf lantern shark population lives in the mid-western Atlantic Ocean at depths of 283 - 439m.

Because they are difficult to catch or see, it was previously thought that this shark could reach a maximum size of 21.2cm. However, a 2021 study captured 153 dwarf lanternsharks to investigate their population structure. One of these was 28.9cm long.

The dwarf lanternshark's head is about a quarter to a fifth of its entire body length, and its mouth is lined with more than 60 sharp teeth. The shark has very large eyes, which are thought to maximize the limited amount of light available in the dark ocean environment.

They are dark brown with black streaks on their skin. Some of these streaks are made up of photoreceptors that produce light to attract smaller prey.

Like many other sharks, the dwarf lanternshark lays eggs and will nurture them inside its body until they hatch, and the young are only 6cm long.

The IUCN Red List lists the dwarf lanternshark as 'least concern,' the lowest level on the extinction risk scale. However, the most immediate threats to the species are a lack of accurate information about its ecology and fishing vessels.

"A 2009 trawler study off the coast of Colombia found the dwarf lanternshark was present in 39% of trawlers but accounted for just over 1% of the population and biomass ," according to IUCN.

In contrast to the dwarf lanternshark, the world's largest shark is the whale shark ( Rhincodon typus ) with a body length of up to 18m. It is also the world's largest omnivore.