Scientists studying unusual sharks that can “walk” along the seafloor have made an exciting discovery—a completely new species that was previously unknown to science.
The newly identified shark, officially named Hemiscyllium dudgeonae and commonly called Dudgeon’s Walking Shark, lives only in a small area off the southeastern coast of Papua New Guinea.
The species was recently described in a scientific paper published in Zenodo.
The discovery came during a research trip led by scientists from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia. The team was exploring the shallow waters of Milne Bay to study endangered epaulette sharks, a group of small sharks famous for their ability to use all four fins almost like legs.
These sharks do not actually walk on land for long periods, but they can crawl over reef flats and move through very shallow water at low tide. They feed mainly on small animals living on the seafloor and are completely harmless to people.
The new species was discovered during a night survey. Dr. Christine Dudgeon, a senior researcher at the University of the Sunshine Coast, caught a small shark by hand and brought it aboard the research boat for examination.
Ph.D. student Jess Blakeway immediately noticed something unusual about the shark.
Its appearance was different from any walking shark she had seen before. Instead of having leopard-like spots, the shark had distinctive white dashes running along its brown body. The researchers placed it in a container of fresh seawater while they measured it and collected blood and tissue samples.
Over the next two nights, the team found another 11 sharks with exactly the same markings.
Even then, the researchers could not be certain they had discovered a new species. It was only after genetic tests were completed back in Australia that they confirmed the sharks were indeed different from all known species.
The discovery was particularly exciting because it is the first new species identified in this group of walking sharks since 2013.
The shark was named after Dr. Dudgeon, who has spent more than 20 years studying these animals. Locally, the shark is known as “kadedekedewa,” which roughly translates to “dog shark” or “lazy shark,” a reference to its slow, four-finned movements.
However, the discovery also raised immediate concerns among scientists. Because the shark appears to live only in a very small area, it could be especially vulnerable to habitat destruction, fishing activities and climate change.
Researchers plan to return to Papua New Guinea to collect more information that could help determine whether the species should be listed as vulnerable or endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The study also changed scientists’ understanding of where walking sharks live. Previously, researchers believed each species was separated by natural barriers such as rivers or deep water. The new findings suggest that the ranges of different walking shark species can overlap in eastern Papua New Guinea, even though the species themselves do not live side by side.
Dudgeon’s Walking Shark is now the tenth known species in this remarkable group of sharks, highlighting just how much there is still to learn about life in the world’s oceans.
