Learning more about Alaskas elusive Pacific sleeper shark [Video]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – For a species that is often portrayed in the media as a tropical species with serious attitude, one shark defies stereotypes.

Meet the Pacific sleeper shark, a seemingly laid-back fish that tries to stay out of others’ way and has been dubbed “big tubs of goo” by one scientist.

“I don’t think I would go that extreme,” said University of Alaska Anchorage assistant professor Amy Bishop, referencing the quote by another scientist. “But they are incredibly docile that when they come to the surface, you get this sense that they are this very old, very slow-lived animal.”

Until recently, the sharks’ behaviors and life history could only be described in generalities, by those like Bishop who were even aware of their existence. They were thought of as deepwater scavengers with little impact on the populations of other species.

“Because sleeper sharks are not harvested, they’re not really managed, and that has led …