A rare shark species, once thought to be extinct, has been spotted in the waters of Papua New Guinea. This is the first sighting of Gogolia filewoodi in five decades.

The species was first described in the 1970s based on a single specimen, and since then, it had not been observed in the wild. Scientists believed the species had become extinct due to overfishing. However, recent observations in the mouth of a river in the Madang province revealed five females and one male Gogolia filewoodi.

The Gogolia is an endemic species of Papua New Guinea and possesses a unique evolutionary line not found elsewhere in the world. Very little is known about the biology of the species, except for a few physical characteristics, one of which is the unusually long base of the first dorsal fin.

The population of this shark remains unknown, but scientists believe its range is extremely limited, making it vulnerable to extinction, according to The Independent.

Earlier, Chinese researchers announced the discovery of a dugong in the South China Sea near the Yunshu Reef. This species had been considered functionally extinct in China since 2008, when the last specimen was found dead.