A close-up of the new shark species Hemiscyllium dudgeonae in its home environment.
(Image credit: Nesha Ichida)
Researchers have identified a new species of “walking shark,” a rare group of small carpet sharks that use their fins to “walk” along shallow reefs.
A team of divers spotted the newfound shark, which they named Hemiscyllium dudgeonae, in the dark waters around the reefs of southeastern Papua New Guinea. Gliding along the rocks was a small, brown-spotted shark that they didn’t recognize.
Content Manager, Live Science
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is the Content Manager at Live Science. Formerly, she was the Content Manager at Space.com and before that the Science Communicator at JILA, a physics research institute. Kenna is also a book author, with her upcoming book ‘Octopus X’ scheduled for release in spring of 2027. Her beats include physics, health, environmental science, technology, AI, animal intelligence, corvids, and cephalopods.
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