Four recent species of sharks have been discovered within the tropical waters of the Indo-Australian archipelago, which lies between Indonesia and Australia. Scientists were working on a 12-year global conservation study once they spotted peculiar sea creatures they imagine are apex predators living within the shallow waters of the reef they call home.
“Averaging lower than a meter in length, walking sharks pose no threat to humans, but their ability to resist low-oxygen conditions and walk on their fins gives them a unprecedented advantage over prey similar to small crustaceans and molluscs,” said Dr Christine Dudgeon of the Australian University of Queensland.
While some shark species have been known to walk before, this set of 4 sharks almost doubles that number, bringing the known number to nine. What was interesting to the researchers was that not one of the sharks closely related to the newly identified reef inhabitants had the identical gait.
After DNA evaluation, the team believes that way back the walking sharks separated from their brothers and sisters to assume their very own identity as a brand new species.
“The data suggest that the new species evolved after sharks diverged from their original population, became genetically isolated in new areas, and evolved into new species,” Dudgeon says.
“They may have moved by swimming or fin-walking, but it is also possible that they hitchhiked for a ride on reefs moving west across the top of New Guinea about two million years ago. We believe there are more species of walking sharks still waiting to be discovered.”
the research was published within the journal Marine and freshwater researchand within the video below you may see the walking sharks in motion.
Source : New Atlas | Marine and freshwater research
