A Mexican marine biologist has discovered a new shark species in the murky depths of Mexico's Sea of Cortez, the first new shark find in the wildlife-rich inlet in 34 years.
Postgraduate student Juan Carlos Perez was on a fishing boat in early 2003 studying sharks from the Mustelus family netted at depths of 660 feet when he noticed some of them had darker skin and white markings.
The sharks, slender, dark gray-brown and around 5 feet (1.5 meters) long, turned out to be a new species that Perez and his team have named "Mustelus hacat," after the word for shark in a local Indian dialect.
"What I first noticed was their color. They are dark in color, like dark coffee, and have white markings on the tips and edges of their fins and tails which jump out at you because they are so dark," Perez told Reuters on Thursday.
"I got back from the boat and the first thing I said was that I thought I had a new species, but I wasn't sure until six months on when we did genetic tests," he said, audibly elated.
Perez studied around 40 of the sharks from 2003 to 2005. Worldwide, marine biologists tend to discover two or three new shark species in any given year.
But Perez's find -- bringing to five the types of Mustelus shark found in the eastern North Pacific -- is the first shark discovery in the Sea of Cortez since the tiny Mexican Horn Shark (Heterodontus mexicanus) was identified in 1972.
"I wasn't looking for something new, but it's very satisfying. I'm very happy," said Perez, 31, who is based at the CICESE science and technology research center at the port of Ensenada in northwestern Baja California state.
His find was published in the U.S. journal Copeia in December.
"There must be more undiscovered species there but access is difficult. If we hadn't been on those boats I'd never have seen them because that's the only place they are caught. And it's not a region that attracts scuba diving."
There are some 50 to 60 species of shark in the Sea of Cortez, a narrow body of water also known as the Gulf of California that separates Mexico's Baja California peninsula from the mainland and is famous for its rich and unique ecosystem.
The Mustelus hacat lives in the ocean's depths feeding on shellfish and shrimp," Perez said, adding: "They have very, very small teeth. They are really not aggressive or dangerous."
墨西哥海洋生物学家发现新种类鲨鱼
墨西哥的一位海洋生物学家2003年在墨西哥科特斯海深海处发现的一种鲨鱼，日前被证实是34年中在此区域首次发现的新种类的鲨鱼。
据路透社3月2日报道，2003年初，一位名叫胡安·卡洛斯·佩里兹的海洋生物学研究生在一条渔船上研究用网在水深660英尺(约合198米)的地方捕捉到的星鲨属的鲨鱼。当时佩里兹发现，其中的一些鲨鱼身体颜色较深，并且还长有白色的斑纹。
这种体形瘦小，身体呈暗灰褐色，体长大约5英尺(约合1.5米)的鲨鱼后来被证实是一种新种类的鲨鱼。佩里兹和他的研究小组给这种鲨鱼命名为"Mustelus hacat"。
佩里兹3月2日对媒体表示："我首先注意到的是它们的身体颜色。它们体色较深，就像黑咖啡一样，同时它们鳍和尾部的顶端和边缘还长有白色的斑纹。这些白色的斑纹在它们深色身体上非常醒目。"佩里兹还高兴地说，"从渔船上回来，我说的第一件事就是我感觉自己发现了新的鲨鱼种类，但我对此还无法肯定。直到6个月后我们进行基因检验时，才证明确实如此"。
报道说，在2003年至2005年间，佩里兹对大约40只这种鲨鱼进行了研究。佩里兹的发现是科特斯海域自1972年确定发现墨西哥虎鲨以来，首次发现新种类的鲨鱼。这种鲨鱼会以海洋中的贝类动物或小虾为生，长有非常小的牙齿，不具有攻击性和危险性。(
关键字:双语阅读
生词表:
Postgraduate student Juan Carlos Perez was on a fishing boat in early 2003 studying sharks from the Mustelus family netted at depths of 660 feet when he noticed some of them had darker skin and white markings.
The sharks, slender, dark gray-brown and around 5 feet (1.5 meters) long, turned out to be a new species that Perez and his team have named "Mustelus hacat," after the word for shark in a local Indian dialect.
"What I first noticed was their color. They are dark in color, like dark coffee, and have white markings on the tips and edges of their fins and tails which jump out at you because they are so dark," Perez told Reuters on Thursday.
"I got back from the boat and the first thing I said was that I thought I had a new species, but I wasn't sure until six months on when we did genetic tests," he said, audibly elated.
Perez studied around 40 of the sharks from 2003 to 2005. Worldwide, marine biologists tend to discover two or three new shark species in any given year.
But Perez's find -- bringing to five the types of Mustelus shark found in the eastern North Pacific -- is the first shark discovery in the Sea of Cortez since the tiny Mexican Horn Shark (Heterodontus mexicanus) was identified in 1972.
"I wasn't looking for something new, but it's very satisfying. I'm very happy," said Perez, 31, who is based at the CICESE science and technology research center at the port of Ensenada in northwestern Baja California state.
His find was published in the U.S. journal Copeia in December.
"There must be more undiscovered species there but access is difficult. If we hadn't been on those boats I'd never have seen them because that's the only place they are caught. And it's not a region that attracts scuba diving."
There are some 50 to 60 species of shark in the Sea of Cortez, a narrow body of water also known as the Gulf of California that separates Mexico's Baja California peninsula from the mainland and is famous for its rich and unique ecosystem.
The Mustelus hacat lives in the ocean's depths feeding on shellfish and shrimp," Perez said, adding: "They have very, very small teeth. They are really not aggressive or dangerous."
墨西哥海洋生物学家发现新种类鲨鱼
墨西哥的一位海洋生物学家2003年在墨西哥科特斯海深海处发现的一种鲨鱼，日前被证实是34年中在此区域首次发现的新种类的鲨鱼。
据路透社3月2日报道，2003年初，一位名叫胡安·卡洛斯·佩里兹的海洋生物学研究生在一条渔船上研究用网在水深660英尺(约合198米)的地方捕捉到的星鲨属的鲨鱼。当时佩里兹发现，其中的一些鲨鱼身体颜色较深，并且还长有白色的斑纹。
这种体形瘦小，身体呈暗灰褐色，体长大约5英尺(约合1.5米)的鲨鱼后来被证实是一种新种类的鲨鱼。佩里兹和他的研究小组给这种鲨鱼命名为"Mustelus hacat"。
佩里兹3月2日对媒体表示："我首先注意到的是它们的身体颜色。它们体色较深，就像黑咖啡一样，同时它们鳍和尾部的顶端和边缘还长有白色的斑纹。这些白色的斑纹在它们深色身体上非常醒目。"佩里兹还高兴地说，"从渔船上回来，我说的第一件事就是我感觉自己发现了新的鲨鱼种类，但我对此还无法肯定。直到6个月后我们进行基因检验时，才证明确实如此"。
报道说，在2003年至2005年间，佩里兹对大约40只这种鲨鱼进行了研究。佩里兹的发现是科特斯海域自1972年确定发现墨西哥虎鲨以来，首次发现新种类的鲨鱼。这种鲨鱼会以海洋中的贝类动物或小虾为生，长有非常小的牙齿，不具有攻击性和危险性。(
关键字:双语阅读
生词表:
- fishing [´fiʃiŋ]
n.钓鱼；捕鱼；渔业 四级词汇 - northwestern [,nɔ:θ´westən] a.西北的；自西北的 四级词汇
- mainland [´meinlənd] n.大陆；本土 四级词汇
- aggressive [ə´gresiv] a.进攻的；侵略的 四级词汇
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