New Species Of 'Walking' Bamboo Shark Discovered Off Coast Of Indonesia [VIDEO]

There is a newly found member of the shark family, and he has a pretty peculiar way of getting around.

Scientists have discovered and filmed a newly identified species of shark called Hemiscyllium halmahera, reports the Telegraph of London. It is a species of bamboo shark and can grow as large as 27 inches long.

The team responsible or uncovering the new animal was led by biologist Dr. Gerald Allen from Conservation International.

Two of the elusive sharks were discovered off of the Indonesian coast. The animals make their home on the ocean floor, where they wiggle their bodies to make their fins push them along the seabed in a motion similar to walking. The shark feeds on small fish as well as marine invertebrates on the sea floor.

But beyond its odd style of movement, the shark also stands out for its physical appearance.

“The new species is clearly differentiated on the basis of color pattern," described the research team in the International Journal of Ichthyology. “Its features include a general brown coloration with numerous clusters of mainly 2-3 dark polygonal spots, widely scattered white spots in the matrix between dark clusters."

The description added that the shark "has relatively few, less than 10, large dark spots on the snout region" and "a pair of large dark marks on the ventral surface of the head."

Scientists are interested in the walking movement of the species since it may offer a hint to the evolution of some of the earliest animals to begin walking on land, reports MSN.

Bamboo sharks are typical found in the waters near Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

You can watch video of the new species of bamboo shark below:

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