A walking shark was encountered by scientists on a remote outcropping at nightfall on the coast of New Zealand. Using its fins to drag itself, the diminutive tan-and-black-speckled shark moved like a sea lion as it dragged its body across the shore.
The epaulette shark is one of the few sharks that can walk on land. Forrest Galante shared rare footage of this species in a new special for Discovery Channel's Shark Week.
This is the first time in history that a species of epaulettes has been documented walking. This is amazing.
The ability to walk is thought to have evolved from the fact that the epaulette sharks were able to find food in places where other sharks couldn't.
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The director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History said that every trait is selected for when it allows a species to survive and thrive. Epaulette sharks, which grow to about 1 meter in length, swim into shallow coral reefs to find crabs and other food. They like to hang out in the tide pools and eat the creatures that come out of the water. "But once they're done, they're trapped," he said. The epaulettes have learned to climb up in the reef and swim in the tide pool.
Scientists discovered that whale sharks are the biggest omnivores.
The sharks are able to haul themselves 100 feet (30 m) or more across dry land. Live Science reported that this species can survive on land for up to an hour on a single breath, and that fin walking isn't the only adaptation that allows them to do so. Epaulettes thrive in the low-oxygen waters of tide pools.
The ability to walk is thought to have evolved in the past 9 million years. Hammerhead sharks, one of the youngest shark groups, evolved about 45 million years ago, according to the Natural History Museum. The epaulette sharks are forming new species quickly. Small populations are often isolated because of the mobility of the sharks.
"If you have one that's in one part of the reef, it might decide to go on a walkabout in Australia," he said. A small group of sharks can be cut off by a river or other barrier. These populations can become genetically distinct as their genes change and adapt to other genes.
Scientists hope to find out how a species with so little genetic diversity could produce individuals that are different in appearance. The patterns in the epaulette shark's distinctive spots vary so widely that no two individuals look exactly alike.
We think it's happening, but we haven't proved it.
It was originally published on Live Science
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