Photo by California Academy of Sciences.
Researchers recently announced a new species of shark, the Galapagos Catshark, or Bythaelurus giddingsi. Catsharks are one of the largest families of sharks, and are also known as dogfish, a synonym scenario that is not at all ass-backwards. And to make classification even more complex, the newly discovered species of catshark/dogfish has a lot in common with the snowflake: The arrangement of leopard-like spots on Galapagos Catshark is unique to each fish. So it’s a catshark or dogfish with spots like a leopard and the characteristics of a snowflake — got it?
While the discovery of a new species it certainly exciting, keeping these fish in the sea may require some conservation measures. Because Galapagos Catshark are only found in one place on earth (the Galapagos … duh), they are more susceptible to extinction.
And this is a rough time for sharks, too: More than 100 million of the ocean’s top predators are killed every year, largely to meet the demand for shark fin soup. So it’s always good news to hear that new species are still being discovered. Let’s maybe try to keep this one around.
