Natural History Wanderings

Smithsonia Magazine reported

In July 1970, a fisherman caught an unfamiliar shark in Papua New Guinea’s Astrolabe Bay. The mysterious creature—a pregnant female—had large, wide eyes, a big head and a short mouth. It also had a prominent, elongated fin protruding from its back, similar in appearance to a sail on a sailboat. Researchers later identified the animal as a new genus and species: the sailback houndshark (Gogolia filewoodi).

However, after that initial sighting, scientists never saw another sailback houndshark. That is, until now—more than 50 years later, the elusive creature has turned up again.

Read on Elusive Sailback Houndshark Rediscovered in Papua New Guinea After 50 Years