Sharks Can Walk, Too! Video Captures Epaulette Hatchling Taking Baby Steps

Some shark species can walk, and scientists recently found how one of these unusual sharks is practicing baby steps.

They start when they are newly hatched, and the walk of a hatchling is not different from the older juveniles, a Live Science report specified.

Essentially, when the tide close to a coral reef goes out, tiny carpet shark species are frequently left behind.

When stranded in shallow tide pools with dwindling oxygen levels and rising temperatures, or worse, breached on hot slabs of the exposed reef, most aquatic species would not stand a chance.

However, the epaulette shark, called Memiscyllium ocellatum, can hold its breath for hours. It can also tolerate a range of temperatures. Then, in a bit, it can walk.

Epaulette Sharks

According to Marianne Porter, an associate professor at Florida Atlantic University who's studying sharks' mechanical structures and motion, at low tide, when the reef gets exposed, one can see it walking on the reef.

The associate professor also said that such hardy tiny sharks could walk on land and underwater, flopping across substrate on four paddle-shaped fins for over 90 feet until they find an appropriate nook where they can await the tide.

It is one of nature's most unique survival techniques, although a few studies have investigated the physics behind epaulette shark locomotion and gait.

Now new research published in Integrative and Comparative Biology is the first to explain the mechanics of how newly hatched epaulette sharks walk.

Taking Baby Steps

The results will eventually help researchers understand how other aquatic species will handle stresses related to climate change, such as rising levels of carbon dioxide.

Porter, the study's lead author, explained that "epaulette sharks live at the extremes." She also said that if one wants to learn what's happening to animals under extreme climate change conditions, looking at animals that already live under certain conditions and understanding how they move and cope may be the initial step.

Both porter and Jodie Rummer, the co-author of the study and a marine biology professor at James Cook University in Australia, had been investigating epaulette sharks for years, although they were frustrated to find that very little information existed on the manner the carpet sharks are walking.

The two suspected that baby sharks would walk differently compared to older juveniles and adults who also walk.

Gravity Playing a Vital Role

It remains unclear why baby sharks do not adopt gaits that better fit their bulbous bellies. One probable explanation is that gravity is playing a role.

The recent study only investigated sharks that walk underwater, where the bulk of the yolk sac does little to impede movement.

In future research, Porter hopes to examine whether baby sharks adjust their gaits on land to account for the added weight.

Future studies into epaulette shark locomotion may also be helpful for evolutionary biologists studying how animals transitioned from water to land and biomechanics researchers who, like porter, are examining how fins and feet interact with surfaces and the manner animals account for gravity and body shape when moving through various environments.

Link to Climate Change

Meanwhile, as specified in a News CBC report, epaulette sharks, also called hemiscyllium ocellatum, are arising as models for researchers studying how marine fish adjust to changing oceans.

Investigating how such distinctive sharks are walking to safety may eventually result in a better insight into how other species are moving within, and away from challenging environmental conditions, which include those linked to climate change.

Porter explained that from an evolutionary viewpoint, a climate change perspective, and a basic psychological perspective, there's much to learn from the epaulette sharks.

Related information about epauletette sharks walking on land is shown on Nature on PBS's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Sharks in Science Times.