A 12-year study in waters off northern Australia and New Guinea found four new species of walking shark, nearly doubling the known number of species in the area.
The joint study was conducted by researchers at University of Queensland, Conservation International, the CSIRO, Florida Museum of Natural History, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences and Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and published in the latest issue of CSIRO’s Marine and Freshwater Research.
“At less than a meter long on average, walking sharks present no threat to people but their ability to withstand low oxygen environments and walk on their fins gives them a remarkable edge over their prey of small crustaceans and mollusks,” UQ’s Dr. Christine Dudgeon said.
“These unique features are not shared with their closest relatives the bamboo sharks or more distant relatives in the carpet shark order including wobbegongs and whale sharks.”
These new sharks live in coastal waters around northern Australia and the island of New Guinea, and occupy their own separate region.
“We estimated the connection between the species based on comparisons between their mitochondrial DNA which is passed down through the maternal lineage. This DNA codes for the mitochondria which are the parts of cells that transform oxygen and nutrients from food into energy for cells,” Dr. Dudgeon said.
“Data suggests the new species evolved after the sharks moved away from their original population, became genetically isolated in new areas and developed into new species.”