We fear things because we don’t know them. But the closer we get to know them, the fewer reasons we have to be frightened. Is seems to be the same with sharks. Or at least with the new “walking shark.” After twelve years of study, at the University of Queensland was discovered that there are nine species of walking sharks in the shallows of waters of Indonesia.
Nine species, instead of 4, as it was known until now. This might be a reason to get scared. But walking sharks could not audition for Jaws, and not just because of the color of their skin. They are a bit too colored for the part, it’s true, but the real reason is they are too short. Just as discriminatory!
So, they are a meter long, and they have very muscular pectoral fins — don’t judge, they need something so they can walk. They hunt only small fish and invertebrates, so it’s not exactly what you might call a hunt. It’s more like a walk through the shallow water of the reef flat. But whatever we call it, hunting or not, it was the way the eight species were identified.
New “Walking Shark” Species Was Found
People don’t like them because they are sharks, nevertheless. But “genetic data suggests the new species evolved after the sharks moved away from their original population, became genetically isolated in new areas and developed into new species,” Dr. Christine Dudgeon said.
So, it seems like sharks didn’t like them, or at least we can speculate that, given the researcher declaration. If we look closely at their adaptation, we can find the reason: they withstand low oxygen levels, to walk in shallow water, even though they can also swim.
The “walking shark” can even lift itself entirely out of the water to move between shallow pools at low tide. It ended up exploiting a habitat that other predators can’t maybe because it is not a predator, as it is a fighter. That’s a good reason to like something!
