MILNE BAY — Marine scientists discovered and named a new species of walking shark, Hemiscyllium dudgeonae, in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, on March 1, 2025. The discovery was reported on June 15 in the Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation.

Christine Dudgeon, a marine scientist from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia, first sighted the Dudgeon walking shark during reef surveys. The research team located 12 specimens of the new species over two days in March 2025. Genetic tests subsequently confirmed the fish as a new species, which is the 10th known species of walking shark.

The discovery occurred during surveys that focused on the leopard walking shark (H. michaeli) and the Papuan walking shark (H. hallstromi). Jessica-Ann Blakeway, also a marine scientist affiliated with the University of the Sunshine Coast, said, "To our knowledge and based on interviews with local communities, the species don't overlap."

Walking sharks use muscular pectoral and pelvis fins to move across reefs or the seafloor. These sharks can slow their heart and breathing, allowing them to survive out of water for several hours. They hunt for prey such as crabs, worms, or small fish that become trapped in shallow pools during low tide. Local communities refer to the Dudgeon walking shark as kadedekedewa, a term that translates to dog shark or lazy shark.

Dudgeon has studied walking sharks for two decades. Five of the 10 known walking shark species are currently listed as threatened with extinction on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List. Blakeway stated, "Walking sharks are quite hardy, so if they're struggling … other marine species will be struggling as well."