An underwater photographer was finally rewarded with a sighting of a rarely seen deep-sea fish when a chimaera swam in front of his camera off the coast of Vancouver Island, Canada.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been wanting to film one of these amazing animals for a long time,\u201d says underwater videographer\u00a0Kolin Hansen<\/a> from\u00a0Getting Salty<\/a>\u00a0when sharing the exciting encounter on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Also known as\u00a0ghost sharks,<\/a>\u00a0these distant relatives of modern sharks and rays have been swimming through our seas for around 400 million years.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTo me, they look completely alien,\u201d adds Hansen. \u201cWith massive eyes and skin like metallic armour, it searches the depths for its next meal.\u201d<\/p>\n In the footage, the shimmering fish flaps its wing-like fins as it swoops along the seabed, probably looking for\u00a0crabs<\/a>,\u00a0worms<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0sea urchins<\/a>\u00a0to snack on.<\/p>\n Amazing footage shows a chimaera swimming off the coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. Credit: Kolin Hansen<\/p>\n Very few people are lucky enough to see chimaeras<\/a> swimming in front of them like this.<\/p>\n \u201cThese beautiful fish usually thrive in the depths of the ocean 3,300ft (1,000m) deep,\u201d says Hansen. He was lucky to spot this individual that had ventured into shallower waters, where they are occasionally seen.\u00a0<\/p>\n Image and video credit: Kolin Hansen<\/a>,\u00a0gettingsalty.ca<\/a><\/p>\n More amazing wildlife stories from around the world<\/p>\n