Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre

The Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre at the University of Western Australia is a research institution dedicated to exploring and understanding the deep-sea environment. The center is currently newsworthy due to its researchers capturing what may be the first-ever video footage of a sleeper shark in Antarctic waters. This event occurred during an expedition in early 2025 near the South Shetland Islands. The footage reveals a large sleeper shark, estimated to be 10-13 feet long, in an environment previously thought to be uninhabitable by sharks. This discovery challenges existing assumptions about the distribution of marine life and highlights the potential for further exploration and understanding of the Antarctic deep-sea ecosystem. The finding is significant as it expands our knowledge of polar marine biodiversity and raises questions about the adaptations that allow sleeper sharks to survive in such extreme conditions.