A marine biologist from Mexico has discovered a new species of shark in the dark, murky waters of the Sea of Cortez, Mexico. This is the first shark species found in this biodiversity-rich area in 34 years.
Former student Juan Carlos Perez was sitting on a fishing boat in early 2003 to study sharks of the Mustelus family at a depth of 200 meters when he noticed that some of them had darker skin with white spots.
These slender sharks, with dark brown-gray skin and measuring about 1.5 meters in length, turned out to belong to a new species that Perez and his team named “Mustelus hacat,” named after a term for shark in a local dialect.
“What I first noticed was their coloration. They have very dark skin, like strong coffee, with prominent white spots at the tips and edges of their fins and tails,” Perez said.
“The first thought that crossed my mind was that it was a new species, but I wasn’t sure until six months later when genetic testing confirmed it.”
Globally, marine biologists typically discover 2 or 3 new shark species each year. However, this is the first new species found in the Sea of Cortez since 1972.
The Mustelus hacat shark resides in the deep ocean, feeding on shellfish and shrimp. With very small teeth, they are not aggressive and pose no danger to humans.
T. An
