A new species of walking shark? Only in PNG...

John Mayers
6 hours ago
1 min read

Scientists have officially discovered a brand new species of walking shark in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea: the Dudgeon walking shark (Hemiscyllium dudgeonae).

Named after marine scientist Christine Dudgeon, who first spotted it during a night dive, this little creature marks only the 10th known species of walking shark in the world.

Here are the key takeaways from the discovery:

Distinctive Looks: Unlike other walking sharks that sport larger, leopard-like spots, this meter-long species stands out with a unique camouflage pattern made of small brown dots and tiny white dashes. Local communities call it kadedekedewa, which translates to "dog shark" or "lazy shark."
How They "Walk": They use their heavily muscled pectoral and pelvic fins to execute an undulating crawl across the seafloor and coral reefs.
Evolutionary Superpowers: These bottom-dwellers can actually slow down their heart rates and breathing, allowing them to survive out of the water for a few hours. This helps them hunt for crabs, worms, and small fish trapped in shallow tide pools at low tide.
Why They are Isolated: Researchers believe millions of years of intense tectonic activity isolated different walking shark populations, meaning they don't overlap geographically. Because they stay in such highly confined ranges, they are incredibly vulnerable to fishing and reef degradation.
Conservation Warning: Currently, 5 of the 10 known walking shark species are threatened with extinction. Because these sharks are remarkably hardy, scientists warn that if they are struggling to adapt to environmental changes, it's a major red flag for the rest of the reef ecosystem.