Sometime in the neighborhood of 23 million years ago, the megamouth shark swam the oceans. Thought to be extinct, scientists recently identified a new species of megamouth shark by teeth found around 50 years ago. Confused? So were the scientists!

The teeth baffled scientists in the 1960s because they didn’t know of any species they could have come from. The limited knowledge and technology available to identify the source of the teeth was just too limited. Without any idea of what they had, they put the teeth in storage in the Los Angeles County Museum. Basically, they put them away for a rainy day and hoped that sometime, someone would figure out their origins.

The Modern Megamouth Shark was discovered in 1976. This shark, as you can imagine by the name, has a huge mouth and feeds on small fish and plankton. It swims along with its mouth open and uses filters in its gills to collect the plankton for ingestion. The modern megamouth (megachasma pelagios) stays in deep waters during the day and swims to shallow, plankton filled waters to feed at night.

Paleobiologist Kenshu Shimada, a paleobiologist from DePaul University in Chicago, found the mystery teeth from the 1960s at the Los Angeles County Museum. No one was studying them or working on identifying the species. Shimada asked two other scientists, Douglas Long from the California Academy of Sciences and Bruce Welton from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History to look at the teeth with him to see if they related to the megamouth shark.

The three scientists realized that the teeth appeared to be related to the Modern Megamouth, but the teeth were longer and sharper. There were enough similarities for the scientists to clearly link the teeth to the genus Megachasma, but then they needed to apply the latest in technology and their combined experience to put together the rest of the picture. The ancient teeth also suggested that this ancestor of the megamouth probably had a wider variety of sea life in its diet with the sharpness of the teeth. It likely added some kinds of fish to its menu in addition to the plankton. They also concluded that the prehistoric shark was approximately 20 – 27 feet long with a longer, narrower snout than their modern relative.

The teeth were found in both deep and shallow waters, suggesting migration to find food. The evolutionary process that brought about the wider, flatter mouth; the move to shallower water thus changing the diet; the change in tooth shape; and filter feeding is unknown. The new species does not have a name as of yet, just the genus. All of the findings will be available in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

It is truly amazing how teeth that could not be attributed to any species in 1960 have been classified with today’s knowledge and technology. That a team today can not only determine the genus, but many of the physical characteristics beyond the teeth is nothing short of astounding.

A new shark has been found strolling the ocean floor in a reef near an island in Indonesia. Yes, strolling. The shark was actually using its fins to walk along the bottom of the ocean, moving quite quickly and effectively. The discovery was made by scientists from Conservation International and the Western Australian Museum.

The new shark has been dubbed Hemiscyllium halmehera. Hemiscyllium is the longtail carpet or bamboo shark family. Halmehera is the Indonesian island where the shark was discovered in the waters.

It cruises along the ocean floor to find food – small fish and crustaceans. Watching videos on the Conservation International blog, the unusual movements appear to be a combination of walking at times and gliding others. It is quite interesting to watch and will, no doubt, appeal to young and old alike with its rare talent. The only time the shark actually swims is to evade predators.

These distinctively spotted sharks are harmless to humans and are only about 32 inches long and 3.3 pounds. There are only nine species of shark that “walk” in the world. All of these species stay in shallow waters and six of them are found in the waters of Indonesia. What makes this shark different is its size and distinctive coloring. The body is mostly brown with dark marks and white spots overall.

This is a fortunate discovery because Indonesia is increasing protection of rare sharks and manta rays that are vulnerable to extinction, according to Conservation International. One of the reasons for this increased protection is related to an economic upturn. Many Indonesians have begun scuba diving. As they explore the waters, the awareness of the decreases in the populations of sharks and manta rays – species that are popular for viewing by divers – has become more obvious. In order to continue to make economic gains from tourism, the main attractions cannot become scarce, which is causing everyone to take notice.

The Indonesian government has obviously considered this potential for scarcity as they attempt to increase tourism and use the scuba diving experience for viewing various species, especially sharks and manta rays. They realize this will benefit the country financially in a significant way. Indonesia is even using #savesharks liberally throughout social media – especially Indonesian celebrity conservationists with larger followings. Indonesia has finally realized that the financial gains from tourism far outweigh the money that is made from catching the rare fish for serving as an exotic meal.

In fact, Indonesia has recently introduced shark and ray sanctuaries, hosted a conservation symposium, and has instituted regulations to protect whale sharks – while working on protection for more species of sharks and manta rays in the waters surrounding the islands and within the reefs. The fact that it is kind of cute doesn’t hurt its chances of becoming animated or a spokes-animal for conservation, either.

For now, the world is watching the new walking shark. With nearly a half million views on YouTube, the small-but-distinctive little shark is getting a LARGE amount of attention.

Every year around this time my family gathers around the television in the evening, anticipating our week of close bonding around a favorite special week. Yes, that’s right. Shark Week is coming.

Some parents might cringe at the thought of watching Shark Week with their kids. I have all boys and shark week is eagerly awaited with thoughts of seals getting swallowed in one gulp and sharks leaping out of the water in ways we never imagined. Discovery Channel never lets us down. With the shows and online content, Shark Week is our week.

This year, the Discovery Channel is going to present a live talk show every evening. Hosted by comedian Josh Wolf, the show will feature attack survivors, experts, and more. Viewers will be able to make the show an interactive experience by tweeting questions during the broadcast.

I’m looking forward to Sunday, August 4^th. The first day of Shark Week will feature Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives at 9/8 Central. There have been several shark-related killings off the coast of South Africa that have been attributed to a large Great White. One shark expert believes differently. He thinks these are attacks of a Megalodon, a predator related to the Great White, like a massive big brother… and by massive, I mean 60 feet long. Experts will study the evidence and try to solve the mystery of whether this prehistoric predator still swims our seas.

Another exciting element of this year’s Shark Week is the Shark Cam. An unmanned submarine robot tracks sharks and records them in ways that humans are unable to achieve. It sounds like sort of a Candid Camera for sharks. One segment follows a 17 foot Great White into some places I think we will be surprised to see. Check out Return of Jaws on Monday, August 5^th, at 9/8 Central.

The Top Ten Sharkdown hits on Wednesday evening. Among the usual suspects, Great Whites, Bull Sharks, and Tiger Sharks, we will learn more about the Cookie Cutter and Sand Tiger. I’d expand on why they are so bizarre, but I don’t want to ruin it for you. Trust me. You’ll want to see for yourself.

There are many more programs during Shark Week, but rather than dwell on what you should watch every day – because you should watch it all – let’s talk about a few other fun features. Download the Shark Week TV Sync Experience from the Apple App Store for photos, polls, quizzes, and other shark content.

Go to Discovery Channel online and view Shark trivia facts, videos, the latest shark news, and play games. There are puzzles, shark personality quizzes, games, and tests of your Shark IQ. Of course, shop in the Shark Week store for shirts, backpacks, DVDs, and more.

Mythbusters is getting a little Shark Week action starting at 2:00 P.M. on Sunday, August 4^th as well as they test the top 25 shark myths! Get ready to take a big bite of Shark Week‼!