A species of shark long thought to be extinct has been rediscovered lying dead on a slab in a Kuwait fish market.
The incredibly rare smoothtooth blacktip shark was believed to have died out, with only one new example identified in the last 110 years.
But a new survey of fish markets in Kuwait City has turned up a staggering 47 examples of the mysterious shark, and although they were all dead and prepared for eating, scientists think they have collected enough information to prepare a conservation plan.
Before the Kuwait fish market finds, there were only ever two smoothtooth blacktip sharks positively identified.
Although the first was registered as a new species in 1985, it was actually a specimen taken from a collection of dead animals assembled more than 80 years earlier by naturalist Wilhelm Hein during a trip to Yemen.
Until 2008, the 1902 fish was the only known smoothtooth blacktip shark, despite scientists scouring Middle Eastern waters for new examples.
During a Shark Conservation Society meeting in 2008, a whaler shark described as very similar but different’ to a smoothtooth blacktip shark was unveiled.
Later analysis proved that the fish actually was a smoothtooth blacktip, but had initially been dismissed because it had been found in a Kuwait City fish market – 1,800 miles from where Hein found his.
The mysterious fish was actually discovered in a market named Sharq’ a complete coincidence as the word means east in Arabic.
The find led researchers to begin studying fish catches elsewhere in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as in markets around Yemen.
After unearthing 47 varieties in Kuwait fish markets alone, the scientists were able to study how they grow, how many pups they can bear and how they most likely use their habitat.
Although the shark was relatively common in the markets, it is not considered cast-iron evidence of the smoothtooth blacktip being in rude health.
As a result, the studies will now be used to create widespread conservation plans in an effort to increase the population.
Associated Newspapers Ltd