New Species of “Walking Sharks” Discovered

The sharks are typically small—measuring around three feet long, but use their fins to walk across shallow waters, and even lift themselves above the tide.

Four new species of “walking sharks” have been discovered off the shallow coasts of Australia and New Guinea—but they’re no threat to humans

During a 12-year study that was conducted by Conservation International with the Florida Museum of Natural History, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences and Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries; researchers discovered the four new species, which nearly doubles the amount of known walking shark species to nine.

The sharks are typically small—measuring around three feet long, but use their fins to walk across shallow waters, and even lift themselves above the tide. They live in coastal waters, are able to “withstand low-oxygen environments and walk on their fins [giving] them a remarkable edge over their prey of small crustaceans and molluscs,”according to University of Queensland biologist Christine Dudgeon.

Researchers believe the sharks were originally part of a larger species of shark, but they were isolated, causing them to evolve into a different species. The fin walking allows the sharks to better capture prey and stay safe from predators by crawling across rocks and plants in the ocean.

Dudgeon says there is reason to believe there are more species of shark gone undiscovered that can also “walk.”