A shark that walks! innovation is a excellent precursor for Indonesia
A new species of shark that "walks" along the marine
using its fins as petite legs has been revealed in eastern Indonesia, an environmental group said
Friday.
The brown and white bamboo
shark pushes itself along the ocean floor as it forages for small
fish and crustaceans at night, said Conservation International, whose scientists
were involved in its discovery.[Video:New shark " walks " Along reef ]
The shark, which grows to a maximum length of just 80 centimeters (30
inches) and is harmless to humans, was discovered off Halmahera, one of the
Maluku Islands that lie west of New Guinea.Bamboo sharks , also known as long tail carpet sharks, are pretty small compared to their larger cousins, with the largest adult reaching only about 120 centimeters in length. They have bizarrely long tails that are bigger than the rest of their bodies and are found in tropical waters in the region of Indonesia, Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Walking sharks like the epaulette shark uses its pectoral and pelvic fins to move cross ways the sea bottom while foraging for food .A unique prototype of brown spots on
its head distinguishes the epaulette shark from other working sharks.
Ketut Sarjana Putra, Indonesia country director for the group, said the Hemiscyllium halmahera shark could "serve as an excellent diplomat to call public attention to the fact that most sharks are harmless to humans and are worthy of our conservation attention".
A study describing the new walking shark species was published in July in the Journal of Ichthyology.