| Halmahera Epaulette Shark | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Common Name | Walking Shark |
| Range | Ternate island, off the coast of larger Halmahera island |
| Scientific Classification | |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Chondrichthyes |
| Order | Orectolobiformes |
| Family | Hemiscylliidae |
| Genus | Hemiscyllium |
| Species | Hemiscyllium halmahera |
The Halmahera Epaulette Shark, (Hemiscyllium halmahera), is a new species of bamboo shark from Indonesia. This species is described from two specimens collected near Ternate island in 2013, off the coast of larger Halmahera island. This species is most similar to Hemiscyllium galei, found in West Papua, but looks strikingly different in its pattern of spots. While the halmahera epaulette shark has seven large, dark spots on each side of its body, has a brown color with clusters of brown or white spots in polygon configurations all over its body. These small sharks are like other bamboo sharks, in that they use their pectoral fins to "walk" along the ocean floor.