AUSTRALIA (WTHR) - Four new species of tropical shark that use their fins to walk have been discovered off the coasts of northern Australia and New Guinea during a 12-year study.
The ornately patterned sharks are no threat to humans, preying instead upon small fish and invertebrates in the shallow waters.
The sharks "walk" using their pectoral and pelvic fins, which allows them to forage for food under rocks and coral.
According to Conservation International, genetic research revealed that walking sharks are the most recently evolved sharks on the planet, evolving just nine million years ago, making them the "youngest" sharks on the planet.
The four new species bring the total number of known walking sharks to nine.