An extremely rare species of shark has been discovered off the Gulf of Mexico . However , this little critter is more likely to get you cooing rather than crying out in fear . The tiny nipper - measuring just 5.5 inches long - was caught during a 2010 government research trip and its body remained frozen while biologists went about identifying it . This week scientists revealed the dinky creature is a pocket shark - a miniature variation of the more popular kinds . The young male is the second of its species ever seen . Up from the deep : An extremely rare species of shark has been discovered off the Gulf of Mexico . Tiny teeth : However , this little critter is more likely to get you cooing than crying out in fear . The first pocket shark was found 36 years ago in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Peru and it 's been sitting in a Russian museum since . It 's believed the newly-discovered pocket shark was just a few weeks old as he is extremely small and only weighs a mere half ounce . Strangely , this type of shark has two pockets next to its front fins ; their purpose is not known . It 's not quite like a kangaroo , which uses its pouch to carry young , but few species have pockets this large - about 4 percent of the shark 's body . 'It 's cute , ' said Tulane University biologist Michael Doosey , who co-authored a study in a zoological journal identifying the shark . 'It almost looks like a little whale . ' Close encounter : The tiny nipper - measuring just 5.5 inches long - was caught during a 2010 government research trip and its body remained frozen while biologists went about identifying it . Putting a name to the face : This week scientists revealed the dinky creature is a pocket shark - a miniature variation of the more popular kind . Extremely rare : The first pocket shark was found 36 years ago in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Peru and it 's been sitting in a Russian museum since . National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries biologist Mark Grace has spent more than 30 years going through bags upon bags of fish to identify them . It took him more than three years to get to near the end of the freezer , when he plopped a bag on the table and let it thaw . ' I was n't really sure what it was , ' Grace said . 'That pocket over on the pectoral fin , I had never seen anything like that on a shark . ' It 's a small miracle that he was not thrown away . A couple of times , the lab with the freezer lost power . Once identified , the shark was shipped to New York and France for high-tech examinations that would n't puncture the specimen . Dissection : The truly strange thing about this species strange is its twin pockets - while no one knows what they are for , some experts believe that they may secrete some kind of glowing fluid or pheromones . The shark also has unusual belly patches not seen in most sharks . The only other pocket shark was a female adult about 17 inches long ; it is believed that adult females may be larger than males . But the truly strange thing about this species strange is its twin pockets . While no one knows what they are for , based on the Russian specimen Grace and Doosey speculated that they may secrete some kind of glowing fluid or pheromones . The Gulf specimen has umbilical scars , showing he 's probably a few weeks old , Grace said . Because of that they think he was born in the Gulf . He was captured in February 2010 by the ship Pisces about 190 miles off the Louisiana coast . 'There 's others ' out there , Grace said . 'We just have n't caught them yet . '
The tiny nipper was caught during a 2010 government research trip . Its body remained frozen while biologists tried to identify it . The pocket shark measures 5.5 inches long and weighs a mere half ounce . 'It looks like a little whale , ' said Tulane University biologist Michael Doosey .