Researchers in Australia have discovered four new species of shark that use their fins to walk. Five species were discovered precisely on January 2020, but have recently gone viral, a year and a half later.
The new variety was discovered during a 12-year study, at the coast of northern Australia and the island of Papua New Guinea. However, as per the sources, 12-year long research, what was earlier presumed as just five species has now increased to nine.
The discovery was initiated by an international team of scientists from the University of Queensland (UQ), Conservation International, CSIRO, the Florida Museum of Natural History, and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences and the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (published in Marine and Freshwater Research).
The walking sharks came into sight in waters in the Northern Australian regions as well as some areas of New Guinea. The leopard epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium michaeli) is a species of walking shark found in coral reefs in the Milne Bay region of eastern Papua New Guinea.
However, they’re not as gigantic as the great white sharks, instead, they are really small in size. Moreover, they’re isolated in specific areas and don’t really travel for longer distances
