About Hemiscyllium dudgeonae:
- It belongs to a small group of walking sharks.
- It was spotted in the waters of Milne Bay, off the southeastern tip of Papua New Guinea.
- It is locally known as “kadedekedewa,” or “lazy shark”.
- It uses its fins to stroll across the seafloor and even drag itself between shallow tide pools when the tide goes out.
What are Walking Sharks?
- Walking sharks belong to the genus Hemiscyllium,
- Distribution: It is found in the tropical waters around Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
- Features:
- Habitat: They inhabit shallow coastal habitats.
- Their limited mobility is one of their defining characteristics, and individual sharks may spend their entire lives within an area measuring only a few hundred square meters.
- They lay egg cases directly on the seafloor, so their offspring hatch close to where their parents lived.
