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New shark species discovered in Galapagos

By T.K. Randall
March 11, 2012 · Comment icon

25 comments

Image Credit: NOAA

Scientists have found a brand new species of shark that is about the size of a household cat.

The new shark was discovered during a series of dives in the ocean around the Galapagos Islands. The Galapagos Catshark is only around 1.3ft long and each specimen possesses a unique arrangement of leopard-like spots on its body. At a time when many types of sharks face extinction around the world it is a breath of fresh air to come across such a fascinating new species.

Scientists conducting deep-sea dives around the Galapagos Islands have identified a new species of shark. Part of a family known as a catsharks, the new species is about 1. 3 feet long, roughly the same size as a typical housecat.

Source: Wired | Comments (25)

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Recent comments on this story

#16 Posted by CRIPTIC CHAMELEON 12 years ago

Its good to see a new species of shark, I just wonder how long it will take before they make shark fin soup out of it. Oh & by the way isn't the Patterson footage real as I recall it hasn't been disproven. ?

#17 Posted by Skeptic Chicken 12 years ago

Actually you are wrong. Bigfoot does not exist. There I just did it, now prove me wrong. Mike Actually, it does exist, but not as the name Bigfoot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigantopithecus May not be alive, but it still exists in fossil records.

#18 Posted by CaitSith 12 years ago

The burden of proof lies on the shoulders of those making the extraordinary claims - ie, those people who claim that Bigfoot exists. Proof equals evidence, of which there is to date - none. Zip, zero, nada, zilch, zed. And before you say it - eyewitness accounts are not evidence. yet you have one account of this shark species and dont question it for a second. Good to see double standards are alive and well on UM

#19 Posted by missymoo999 12 years ago

Actually, it does exist, but not as the name Bigfoot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigantopithecus May not be alive, but it still exists in fossil records. I actually never knew it did once exist .I thought it was just a modern urban legend.Interesting .

#20 Posted by msmike1 12 years ago

Actually, it does exist, but not as the name Bigfoot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigantopithecus May not be alive, but it still exists in fossil records. Like I said, prove me wrong. You did not do that. Mike

#21 Posted by Skeptic Chicken 12 years ago

I actually never knew it did once exist .I thought it was just a modern urban legend.Interesting . Yeah, well it's not exactly bigfoot, but it is the closest thing to what people are seeing. Indeedly interesting.

#22 Posted by I Am Not Resisting 12 years ago

yet you have one account of this shark species and dont question it for a second. Good to see double standards are alive and well on UM But don't you think that it helps that this new shark species can be caught and at least genetically tested to make sure it's a new species rather than not finding any physical evidence of a modern bigfoot? I mean, if a live bigfoot could be caught and studied, it would be a total game changer.

#23 Posted by Paracelse 12 years ago

Its amazing that there has been enough actual evidence collected and analyzed to identify and categorize a new species of housecat-sized shark living in one corner of the enormous ocean and yet nobody can come up with a single actual piece of physical evidence for a species of giant hairy man-ape that has supposedly has a range that spreads it out all over the planet. Wonder why that is? If you were Big Foot would you like to meet humans who would happily place you in zoo for all sort of mo-ons paying to see you?

#24 Posted by ZaraKitty 12 years ago

Now we can move on to finding Megaladon..

#25 Posted by ZaraKitty 12 years ago

Now we can move on to finding Megaladon..

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