Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Juliet asks, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
Juliet argues that one’s intrinsic value is greater than any name we mere mortals could assign. And yet (🚨spoiler alert 🚨), by the end of the tragic play it is clear that some names prove to be insurmountable obstacles.
This is a false catshark, Pseudotriakis microdon, named for their catlike eyes; however, they are not a true catshark, hence the disclaimer. A bit soft around the middle — some might even say these ground sharks are flabby — and they move rather slowly, which led to another common name: “sofa shark.” In Japan, where, for centuries, the animal’s oily liver has been used to water-seal the hulls of wooden fishing boats, they call them “dumb sharks.”
Experts note a 71% decline in the global abundance of sharks and rays since the 70s, and much research has been dedicated to understanding how people’s fears and attitudes influence their support for conservation measures. It turns out that when people know more about sharks, they are less likely to fear them, and we (anecdotally) suspect that names play a big part; that’s why you aren’t likely to see an advertisement for a Porsche “Snail” anytime soon.
These sharks are found throughout our global Ocean, often near the seafloor, between 500 and 1,400 meters (the #DeepWonders science team collected this footage at 1,086 meters). If we were naming this adorable animal, we might go with something that taps into their goofy grin or cute nose — something like a boopsnout shark. What would you name this leisurely swimmer?
Credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute
In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Juliet asks, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
Juliet argues that one’s intrinsic value is greater than any name we mere mortals could assign. And yet (🚨spoiler alert 🚨), by the end of the tragic play it is clear that some names prove to be insurmountable obstacles.
This is a false catshark, Pseudotriakis microdon, named for their catlike eyes; however, they are not a true catshark, hence the disclaimer. A bit soft around the middle — some might even say these ground sharks are flabby — and they move rather slowly, which led to another common name: “sofa shark.” In Japan, where, for centuries, the animal’s oily liver has been used to water-seal the hulls of wooden fishing boats, they call them “dumb sharks.”
Experts note a 71% decline in the global abundance of sharks and rays since the 70s, and much research has been dedicated to understanding how people’s fears and attitudes influence their support for conservation measures. It turns out that when people know more about sharks, they are less likely to fear them, and we (anecdotally) suspect that names play a big part; that’s why you aren’t likely to see an advertisement for a Porsche “Snail” anytime soon.
These sharks are found throughout our global Ocean, often near the seafloor, between 500 and 1,400 meters (the #DeepWonders science team collected this footage at 1,086 meters). If we were naming this adorable animal, we might go with something that taps into their goofy grin or cute nose — something like a boopsnout shark. What would you name this leisurely swimmer?
Credit: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute
