Evolution Diary

At least 20 new species of sharks and rays have been discovered in the waters off Indonesia, scientists announced this week.

The finds are the result of a five-year survey—mostly done at local fish markets—to catalog what types of sea creatures are living, and being caught, in a region known for its rich aquatic diversity.

This sleek, spade-shaped Hortle’s whipray, for example, is the newest of 17 whipray species known to live in the muddy shallows along Indonesia’s shores.

Distinguished by its trout-like colors and leopard-like spots, this Bali catshark is one of the 20 unusual new species discovered recently in Indonesia.

This species of shark recently discovered in Indonesia, called a whitefin smooth hound, closely resembles similar sharks found as far away as Mexico.

With the body of a shark and the head of a ray, this Jimbaran shovelnose ray is living proof of the ancient relationship shared by the two fish families.

Source from National Geographic