NEW SPECIES OF HAMMERHEAD SHARK FOUND IN US WATERS

A new species of hammerhead shark has been discovered in the north-western Atlantic off the coast of South Carolina. The shark, which resembles a common species called the scalloped hammerhead, has yet to be classified or named. Like all existing representatives of the species' family, it is dark in color with a T-shaped "hammer" protruding from its head. Researchers say it appears to be rare, breeding only in waters off the US coast. The man who made the discovery, Dr Joe Quattro, a biology professor at the University of South Carolina, developed an interest in the common scalloped hammerhead shark while studying coastal sealife with experts from the region. Genetic studies revealed the waters concealed a similar but unknown "cryptic" species - that is, genetically unrelated. While the only aesthetic difference is the number of vertabrae, the genes in the DNA differ significantly. "This shark is genetically distinct," said Dr Quattro, whose research was published recently in the journal Marine Biology.

Source: Kate Thomas, The Independent, 15 June 2006
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article878390.ece