New shark species discovered in Belize

Published by BBN Staff at February 4, 2017

Tags

Posted: Saturday, February 4, 2017. 10:51 am CST.

Posted: Saturday, February 4, 2017. 10:45 a.m. CST.

By BBN Staff: Researchers from Florida International University (FIU) say that they have discovered a new species of hammer head shark in Belize.Demian Chapman, FIU researcher, was in Belize researching bonnethead sharks, when he made the discovery. Chapman said that when they analyzed the DNA of the shark they caught, it did not match the DNA of the bonnetheads found in this region. The DNA analysis was conducted by Andrew Fields from Stony Brook University.

“Now we have to define the range of each of these species individually and assess them independently against where the potential threats are,” Chapman said.

He added that the new species discovered in Belize could mean that there are several other species which have not yet been discovered.

Chapman is currently leading a shark survey project called Global Finprint, which is trying to determine the cause for the decreasing number of sharks and rays.

Advertise with the largest and fastest growing audience in Belize ~ We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages. Your content is delivered instantly to thousands of users in Belize and abroad! Contact us at [email protected] or call us at 670-6397.

© 2017, BreakingBelizeNews.com. This article is the copyrighted property of Breaking Belize News. Written permission must be obtained before reprint in online or print media. REPRINTING CONTENT WITHOUT PERMISSION AND/OR PAYMENT IS THEFT AND PUNISHABLE BY LAW.