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Scientists Just Discovered a New Walking Shark, and It Has a Very Fitting Nickname

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22.06.2026

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Scientists Just Discovered a New Walking Shark, and It Has a Very Fitting Nickname

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At the risk of instilling a fresh new Jaws-like fear of sharks in you, a team of researchers, publishing their findings in the Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation, has discovered a new species of walking shark off the southeastern coast of Papua New Guinea.

Thankfully, the Dudgeon’s walking shark, or Hemiscyllium dudgeonae, belongs to a group of sharks known as epaulet sharks, which are small, harmless predators that use their pectoral fins like legs to crawl across coral reefs and shuffle between tide pools. While it technically walks, it’s not developed enough to encounter it at, say, your local 7-Eleven. You’re not going to run into one........

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