Overview
- The research team published a peer‑reviewed paper on June 15 that formally names Hemiscyllium dudgeonae, also called Dudgeon’s Walking Shark, as the tenth species in the walking shark genus.
- Field teams working in Milne Bay hand‑captured the first specimen and then found 11 more individuals, keeping three for study and taking tissue samples from others before release.
- Laboratory DNA analysis showed the new shark is genetically distinct from all other Hemiscyllium species, and authors distinguish it by a unique pattern of spots and dashes.
- The species is currently known only from a small area of Milne Bay, which together with its limited mobility and egg‑laying reproduction makes it likely vulnerable to habitat loss, fishing and climate impacts; researchers plan return surveys in October to gather data for an IUCN Red List assessment.
- The study also revises walking shark biogeography in eastern Papua New Guinea by showing overlapping species ranges across the region while species remain locally separate, and it underscores how small home ranges make these sharks prone to local extinction.