Newly discovered hammerhead shark species named for Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen

Research started more than two decades ago by Demian Chapman, now the director of Mote Marine Laboratory’s Center for Shark Research, led to the discovery of a new species of hammerhead shark since named for the late Paul G. Allen, a philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder.

Chapman collected tissue samples from bonnethead sharks – the smallest of the known hammerhead shark species – off of Belize for DNA sequencing as part of his PhD research, before leaving Florida International University in 2021 to become director of the Center for Shark Research at Mote.

He said he "realized they were very different from the bonnethead sharks you find here in Florida, throughout the gulf, the Atlantic and the Bahamas.”

The local species of bonnethead sharks grow to be about 3 feet long.

“You can find them in the bay, along the beach,” Chapman said. “They make a living swimming along the shallows and eating swimming crabs.”

Much of the early field work used in the discovery came through Global FinPrint, a shark survey initiative funded by Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.

Allen was a champion for shark conservation and protecting marine ecosystems, among his many philanthropic initiatives.

Cindy Gonzalez, an FIU researcher and one of Chapman’s doctoral students, conducted similar studies with bonnethead sharks off Panama.

At the time, the bonnethead sharks were described as a single species: Sphyrna tiburo.

“These little DNA sequences we found suggested that there were at least two or three species involved,” Chapman said.

Gonzalez, a native Colombian marine ecologist, found similar results when studying bonnethead sharks in Panama in 2015 as part of her master’s research project.

The FIU researcher and lead author of the article in Zootaxa that formally describes the new species noted that similarities – prior to the availability of DNA comparison – kept its existence hidden.

Documenting the ‘shovelbill shark’

Gonzalez and Chapman developed a plan to work with the local fishing community to document the species called the “shovelbill shark” by the people of Belize.

“It is imperative to study and protect small hammerhead shark species as they are unique to the American continent and have been extirpated, overfished, and misidentified in fisheries,” Gonzalez said in a prepared statement. “At the same time, these sharks have played a critical role in shaping the culture and economy of many local communities in many Latin American countries, so it is important to work hand-to-hand with the fishermen on conservation efforts.”

As the research unfolded, the documentation of the new species was a community endeavor that teamed the scientists with the Belizean fishing community.

“These fishers are deeply knowledgeable and inquisitive about marine-life, so it was a joy to work alongside them,” she said.

Gonzalez and the team visited shark fishing camps, collected specimens, and then began the laborious process of preserving and measuring them.

“The fishers and their families became very invested in this process, helping me in collecting tissue samples for genetics and taking hundreds of measurements of these sharks,” said Gonzalez. “But the process was disrupted when the COVID pandemic prevented international travel, and the university went remote.”

Gonzalez converted her apartment into a makeshift lab to finish the research that documented how the species in the waters of Panama, Belize and Brazil differed from the bonnethead sharks that can be found off the waters of the United States – including off of Sarasota in the Gulf of Mexico.

The “shovelbill” shark has a different number of vertebrae than its northern cousins, and a different shaped head as well as what Chapman called striking DNA differences.

“The DNA suggests they haven’t interbred for somewhere between 3.5 and 5.5 million years – which is a very long time,” Chapman said.

Another species of the fish – found in the Pacific Ocean, which has yet to be named – was documented in the 1940s as Sphyrna vespertina but then folded in with the other bonnetheads.

Gonzalez’s  research confirms that it is a third species.

“These are clearly three distinct species that were described as one,” Chapman said.

Documenting a new species of shark every month

Groundbreaking shark research is one of the core foundations of Mote, which famously began with Dr. Eugenie Clark, Mote’s founder.

Chapman noted that there are currently about 1,100 documented species of sharks and rays worldwide.

“One thing people don’t realize is science discovers a new one at a rate of about one a month,” he added. “In many cases it’s through deep sea exploration or exploring new parts of the world – where there hasn’t been much research on sharks and rays – or it’s like this one, where we use DNA sequencing to take a second look at things that are sitting just under our noses.”

Why do new shark species classifications matter?

Even when the bonnethead shark was considered as one species, it was scarce enough to be listed as endangered by the International Union of Conservation of Nature.

With the numbers now divided among three distinct species, that could trigger a need for different conservation measures and marine protected areas.

Many studies, including Global FinPrint, show sharks are overfished in this region, especially where destructive fishing gear such as gillnets are used and there is poor governance of the fisheries sector.

Allen died in 2018 but his shark conservation efforts continue.

Allen invested in a wide variety of shark conservation initiatives, such as listing threatened species – including all the small hammerhead species – under the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES). The foundation, now chaired by its co-founder, Jody Allen, continues its shark conservation legacy and efforts for broader ocean health.

In his role at Mote, Chapman still leads the Global FinPrint survey. Mote and partners from across the globe are updating the survey to designate new marine protected areas.

Global FinPrint Phase 2, will return to 26 nations to see how reef sharks are doing in these protected areas.

The Global FinPrint team – co-led by FIU scientist Mike Heithaus – is also studying the impact of these species on coral reef ecosystems to better understand how sharks and rays affect these vital but vanishing ecosystems and help create conservation strategies to protect them.

“It is tragic that we have only just recognized that this species exists, and we are already running against the clock to prevent its extinction,” Chapman said. “Fortunately, Belize has taken proactive steps for shark conservation that may help this species, such as collaborating closely with shark fishing communities to manage shark catches, establishing protected areas, and implementing a nationwide gillnet ban.”

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Newly discovered hammerhead shark species named for Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen