Scientists identified a shark in storage for the past five years as one belonging to an extremely rare species called the "pocket shark". This shark could be the second sample ever discovered.

This small, young shark was discovered in 2010 when it was captured along with other marine animals by a research vessel of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This shark was placed in a giant freezer for years, waiting for further identification from scientists.

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The first sample was found some 30 years ago off Peru's Pacific coast and is now housed in a Russian museum.

The specimen found in the Gulf of Mexico is apparently male and measures some 5.5 inches long, according to lead author of the study, Mark Grace of NOAA. The shark was likely a few weeks old when it was captured since it showed evidence of an umbilical scar.

Grace said that upon the discovery of this baby shark, the team became concerned about the shark's parents and how they got to the Gulf since the other known specimen was discovered in far away Peru some 36 years ago.

The specimen was later brought to the NOAA fisheries laboratory in Pascagoula, Mississippi where Grace recruited researchers from Tulane University and NOAA scientists to analyze and conduct further studies on the specimen. 

The shark species appear to be small but it doesn't easily fit into a pocket as the term pocket shark doesn't refer to its size but to the two pockets found on its body near the front fin. Scientists still don't know the purpose of these pockets.

Grace wasn't sure what it is since the pocket over the pectoral fin has never been seen on any known shark species. The Peruvian specimen was a female and measures 17 inches long. Researchers presume adult females could be larger than males.

The study classified the elusive pocket shark under the genus Mollisquama. The pocket shark is also considered a cousin of the kitefin and cookie cutter sharks that all belong to the shark family of Dalatiidae.

Study co-author Michael Doosey from Tulane University said the pocket shark looks cute and it almost looks like a tiny whale.

This study was published in the journal, Zootaxa.

TagsExtremely Rare Shark With Pockets Finally Identified by Scientists, sharks, pocket shark, Gulf of Mexico, peru, NOAA, pocket shark rare