Log In | Register
At least 20 previously unknown species of sharks and rays have been found during a survey of local fish markets in Indonesia, scientists say.
The five-year study focused on catches from tropical seas around the Southeast Asian country, which encompasses more than 17,000 islands.
So far six of the new species have been described in scientific journals. These include the Bali catshark, the Jimbaran shovelnose ray, and the Hortle's whipray.
Scientists are preparing to describe a further 14 of the species.
In total more than 130 species were sampled between 2001 and 2006 at 11 ports across Indonesia.
The Australian-led team behind the study says their work will provide the first ever detailed description of Indonesia's sharks and rays, including information critical to the marine animals' conservation.
Indonesia has the most diverse ray and shark fauna in the world, said study co-author William White, of the marine research division of Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) based in Hobart, Tasmania.
National Geographic also has a photo of one of the newly discovered species of rays.
