Dr. Mark Erdmann, senior advisor to the Indonesian Marine Program for Conservation International was involved in the discovery of a new species of shark on the reefs of eastern Indonesian island Halmahera. One that walks. Just take a look:

Erdmann writes:

The shark, which has the endearing quality of using its fins to “walk” across the ocean floor, calls attention to the fact that the vast majority of Indonesia’s elasmobranchs are harmless to humans and lead fascinating but little-known lives beneath the sea. Indeed, CI has chosen the Raja Ampat endemic species of walking shark, locally known as kalabia, as the mascot for its flagship marine conservation education program there. With a clever strategy, the new walking shark could similarly serve as a local ambassador for marine conservation in Halmahera!

He says the future of Indonesian sharks (and rays) has done “an about-face from bleak to increasingly bright.” He talks more about this in a blog post (linked above).

Image: Conservation International