GALAPAGOS ISLANDS (ECUADOR)- Scientists discovered an unknown species of shark in the waters off the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Bythaelurus giddingsi has chocolate-brown color and asymmetrical distribution of leopard-like spots distinguish it from other closely related species, most of which are spotless brown or gray. The new species is mild-mannered and lives in the deep.
The new species is a type of catshark, also called dogfishes. These small sharks are hardly the man-eaters of Jaws fame. Adult B. giddingsi, for example, are about the size of a house cat, just over 1 foot in length. They typically slink along the seafloor, feasting on mainly soft-bodied fish.
Read more on the newly discovered shark species at Discovery News.