14 DAY TRIAL // A group of investigators from the University of South Carolina (USC), led by ichthyologist Joe Quattro, announces the discovery of a new, rare species of sharks, the Carolina Hammerhead (Sphyrna gilberti). Details of the majestic creature were published in the latest issue of the journal Zootaxa.
One of the reasons why this species has thus far remained a secret is that, on the outside, it looks exactly like any regular scalloped hammerhead. But while investigating the shark closely, experts with the USC's College of Arts and Sciences determined that the two species were unable to mingle.
The team discovered the new shark species while conducting investigations of newborn hammerheads at a known spawning ground. While studying the animals' genetic makeup, the experts found two distinct mitochondrial and nuclear genome signatures.
The data indicated that the scalloped hammerheads (Sphyrna lewini) and the Carolina hammerhead were, in fact, two separate species, whose individuals were unable to breed between themselves, Science Daily reports.