Marine Life & Conservation Blogs
Creature Feature: Sharks with Unusual Names
This month we’re talking about some sharks with unusual names. With names that range from the descriptive to the downright strange. Let’s look at three species with weird and wonderful names!
Tasseled Wobbegong
The Tasseled Wobbegong (Eucrossorhinus dasypogon) is a species of carpet shark found in the shallow coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific. This unique shark gets its name from the tassels that hang from its chin and the sides of its head, making it look like it’s wearing a fancy carpet. The scientific name of the Tasseled Wobbegong, Eucrossorhinus dasypogon, comes from the Greek words “eu” meaning good, “krossoi” meaning fringe, “rhinos” meaning nose, and “dasys” meaning hairy, and “pogon” meaning beard, referring to the shark’s characteristic tassels.
The Tasseled Wobbegong has a broad, flattened head and a body that is covered in small, thorn-like projections. These projections, called dermal denticles, are a common feature of shark skin and help to protect the shark from predators and parasites. The Tasseled Wobbegong’s skin is also covered in a unique pattern of dark spots and stripes that allows it to camouflage itself on the reef floor. With their striking appearance and docile nature, they are a favorite of divers and underwater photographers.
Despite their wild appearance, Tasseled Wobbegongs are relatively docile and are known to be tolerant of human divers. They are primarily nocturnal, spending most of their days hiding in crevices and under overhangs on the reef. At night, they venture out to hunt small fish and crustaceans, using their powerful jaws to crush their prey.
Although the Tasseled Wobbegong is not considered to be a threatened species, it is facing increasing pressure from habitat degradation and overfishing. In 2018, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the Tasseled Wobbegong as a species of “Least Concern” on their Red List, which is a positive sign that the population is currently stable.
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Eucrossorhinus dasypogon
FAMILY: Orectolobidae
MAXIMUM SIZE: 122cm
DIET: Bony fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods
DISTRIBUTION: Found in the waters around southern Australia, including Tasmania and the Bass Strait.
HABITAT: Shallow, coastal waters with rocky or coral reefs, as well as seagrass beds and sandy areas.
CONSERVATION STATUS: 
Crocodile Shark
This unique species (Pseudocarcharias kamoharai) is a small and slender-bodied shark. Which was only disovered in 1985! The genus name, Pseudocarcharias, means “false shark,”. While the species name, kamoharai, honors the Japanese ichthyologist, Kamohara. The English common name “crocodile shark” is derived from its Japanese name mizuwani (水鰐, literally “water crocodile”), which refers to its sharp teeth and habit of snapping vigorously when taken out of the water.
The Crocodile Shark is named for its distinct crocodile-like appearance, with a long snout and sharp teeth. With a maximum length of 1.2 meters. This species is found in deep ocean waters around the globe, from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, typically at depths of 200 to 500 meters. However, it has been known to venture as deep as 1,000 meters.
What makes the Crocodile Shark particularly unusual is its opportunistic feeding behavior. This means that it will eat just about anything it comes across. Including small fish, squid, and even other sharks. The Crocodile Shark uses a unique hunting technique to catch its prey. Its slender body and elongated snout allow it to navigate through tight spaces and ambush unsuspecting prey, making it a formidable predator despite its small size.
Since being discovered, we’ve not uncovered much about this elusive species. Not much is known about the biology and behavior of Crocodile Sharks. They are rarely encountered. And in 2019, the Crocodile Shark was listed as “data deficient” on the IUCN Red List. This means that not enough is known about the species to determine its conservation status. This elusive species’ DNA has been analysed and they are determined to be closely related to the Megamouth Shark or sand sharks (Odontaspididae). Alternative research, analysis based on teeth structure, suggests that the closest relatives of the crocodile shark are the thresher sharks.
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Pseudocarcharias kamoharai
FAMILY: Pseudocarchariidae
MAXIMUM SIZE: 1.2m
DIET: Bony fish and cephalopods
DISTRIBUTION: They are found in tropical and warm temperate waters around the world, including off the coasts of Japan, Australia, South Africa, and Brazil.
HABITAT: Deep offshore waters, typically at depths of 200 to 500 meters, but have been known to come up to shallower depths at night to feed.
CONSERVATION STATUS:
Viper Dogfish
The Viper Dogfish (Trigonognathus kabeyai) is a species of deep-sea shark found in the North Pacific Ocean. This unique shark gets its name from its distinctive appearance, which resembles that of a viper snake, due to the long, fang-like teeth protruding from its jaws. The scientific name comes from the Greek words “trigonos” meaning triangular, “gnathos” meaning jaw, and “kabeya” in honor of the late Japanese ichthyologist, Toshiji Kabeya, who made significant contributions to the study of deep-sea sharks.
The Viper Dogfish is a relatively small species of shark, growing up to just 40 centimeters in length. Its body is slim and elongated, with a dark brown or black coloration that allows it to blend in seamlessly with its deep-sea environment. They’re typically found at depths of between 365 and 1,200 meters, where they feed on a variety of prey including small fish, squid, and crustaceans. Their long, fang-like teeth allow them to easily catch and hold onto their prey, despite their small size.
Despite being a relatively unknown species, the Viper Dogfish has been listed as a species of “Least Concern” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Trigonognathus kabeyai
FAMILY: Etmopteridae
MAXIMUM SIZE: 40cm
DIET: Small fishes and invertebrates
DISTRIBUTION: Northwest and central Pacific: Japan, Taiwan and Hawaiian Islands.
HABITAT: Deep waters, between 250 – 1000m. Possibly oceanic as some have been caught at 150m over water as deep as 1500m.
CONSERVATION STATUS:
Banner Image – © Frogfish Photography
Wobbegong – © Andy Murch
Crocodile Shark – © Dianne J. Bray, 2011, Crocodile Shark, Pseudocarcharias kamoharai, in Fishes of Australia, accessed 11 May 2014, http://www.fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3001 | Wikimedia Commons
Viper Dogfish – © Stephen M Kajiura | Wikimedia Commons
Blogs
The Ocean Cleanup Launches 30 Cities Program to Cut Ocean Plastic Pollution from Rivers by One Third by 2030
The Ocean Cleanup, the international non-profit with the mission to rid the world’s oceans of plastic, has announced, at the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC), its plan to rapidly expand its work to intercept and remove ocean-bound plastic pollution.
The 30 Cities Program will scale the organization’s proven Interceptor™ solutions across 30 key cities in Asia and the Americas, aiming to eliminate up to one third of all plastic flowing from the world’s rivers into the ocean before the end of the decade.
This evolution follows five years of learning through pioneering deployments across 20 of the world’s most polluting rivers and represents a key next step in the organization’s mission and the global fight against ocean plastic pollution.
With the 30 Cities Program, The Ocean Cleanup will transition from single river deployments to citywide solutions, tackling the main plastic emitting waterways within each selected city. This follows a key learning from deployments in Kingston, Jamaica, which showed it is possible to scale faster when projects encompass whole cities, as the same set of partners can be involved with all deployments.
To date, The Ocean Cleanup has already prevented 29 million kilograms of trash from reaching the ocean. The organization currently intercepts an estimated 1–3 percent of global river-borne plastic emissions. With the first 20 river deployments close to being fully operational, it is now poised to reduce the plastic pollution flowing into the ocean from rivers by up to a third.
“When we take on an entire city, instead of individual rivers, we can scale faster, reduce costs, and maximize impact,” said Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup. “Our analysis shows that strategically deploying Interceptors across just 30 carefully chosen cities can stop up to a third of river plastic pollution worldwide. This is the next big leap toward our ultimate goal of a 90 percent reduction in global ocean plastic pollution.”
City-by-city: a Faster Path to Scaling
Using the latest scientific modeling and on the ground experience, The Ocean Cleanup identified 30 major plastic polluting coastal cities which include:
• Panama City, Panama – First deployment to go live in the coming months.
• Mumbai, India – Mapping of all waterways completed; preparations for first deployments underway.
Furthermore, the organization is developing plans to expand on its existing work to all polluting rivers in:
• Manila, Philippines; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Jakarta, Indonesia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Bangkok, Thailand and Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Other cities will be announced once the necessary partnerships and agreements are in place. Planning and fundraising activities are underway for all 30 cities. To realize these ambitious plans, the organization is currently also expanding its engineering and operational capacity.
Data Driven Restoration at Scale
Before Interceptors are deployed, each city project begins with an intensive analysis phase. Aerial drones, AI-powered image analysis, and GPS-tagged “dummy” plastics are used to chart every visible waterway and track how waste moves from streets to sea. These real-time insights guide optimal Interceptor placement and provide a public baseline against which progress can be measured.
Alongside intercepting new plastic, the 30 Cities Program will also remove debris from nearby coasts, mangroves, and coral reefs. This twin-track approach—shutting off the tap while clearing the legacy pollution—enables The Ocean Cleanup to achieve long-term impact, which includes the restoration of fish nursery habitats, boosting coastal tourism, and strengthening of natural storm surge defenses for local communities. Alongside local partners, the organization also advocates for improvements in waste management and awareness raising amongst communities.
Completing the First 20 Rivers
While laying the foundation for the 30 Cities Program, The Ocean Cleanup is also nearing completion of its first 20 river projects. The next landmark achievement—expected as soon as the second half of this year—is in the western Caribbean, where the team aims to resolve the plastic pollution problem in the Gulf of Honduras by intercepting the trash feeding into this body of water.
A Stepping Stone Toward a 90 Percent Reduction
The 30 Cities Program represents the first major scaling step in The Ocean Cleanup’s journey to eliminate 90 percent of floating ocean plastic pollution. In parallel, efforts are continuing to remove plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Whilst extraction operations are currently on hiatus, work to deploy cutting edge technologies to map the “hotspots”, or areas of intense plastic accumulation, in order to make future extractions more efficient and economical, is ongoing.
By combining river interception and coastal cleanup with its offshore cleanup systems targeting legacy pollution that’s already in the ocean, the organization is charting a path to turn off the tap and mop up the mess.
About The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup is a nonprofit organization that develops and scales technologies to rid the oceans of plastic. By conducting extensive research, engineering scalable solutions, and partnering with governments, industry, and like-minded organizations, The Ocean Cleanup is working to stop plastic inflow via rivers and remove legacy plastic already polluting the oceans. As of June 2025, the non-profit has collected over 28 million kilograms (62 million pounds) of trash from aquatic ecosystems around the world. Founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup now employs a multi-disciplined team of approximately 200 people. The organization is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, with international operations in 10 countries. For more information, visit www.theoceancleanup.com.
It’s time to catch up with 12-year-old Mia DaPonte, New England’s youngest ever female PADI Master Scuba Diver, in her latest blog for Scubaverse!
It’s still a little too cold to get in the water here in New England. I wish I had a drysuit! To get my ocean fix, I asked my mom to take me and my friends to the Biomes Marine Biology Center.
What is Biomes? It’s a rescue center near my house that’s home to all kinds of ocean animals—and they’re all local! It’s truly awesome to experience. There are so many cool creatures there, like skates, sharks, stingrays, horseshoe crabs, tropical fish, lobsters, seahorses, octopuses, and even some reptiles that were given up by their owners.
Darwin the turtle is always fun to watch. He’s huge and has his own home, but he also gets to wander around the place on his own when he feels like it!
They have lots of touch tanks. I got to touch sharks, turtles, and even hold a horseshoe crab! (There’s a little lip on the side of their shell where you can hold them—but don’t do this without permission! Their gills always need to stay in the water.) I also touched stingrays! They felt slimy but rough at the same time.
One of my favorite things to do is see the octopus and watch it play with the toys in its tank. I always check to see if any seahorses are pregnant and look for the babies when they’re born. The babies are kept in their own tank at first to stay safe, and then moved when they’re big enough.
We got lucky this time—there was a baby skate in a mermaid’s purse that was ready to hatch any day! It was in a special tank with a light. When you press the button, the light turns on so you can see the baby skate moving around inside the purse!
As our visit was ending, the owner, Mark, sat down with us and told us how he started Biomes. When he was 14 years old, he began rescuing sea animals. His love for the ocean started when he was young—just like mine! As he got older, he started a traveling business, bringing animals to classrooms and doing shows. Eventually, he turned it into something bigger, and now Biomes is a huge center full of rescued animals.
He told us that most of the fish and animals are rescued from fishing boats or the cold waters of New England—places where tropical fish wouldn’t survive the winter. They try to rescue babies whenever they can, so they have a better chance of adapting. Darwin the turtle actually hatched in Mark’s hand!
My mom gets a pass to Biomes every year because I love going there so much. There are always new animals to see and feedings to watch. One time, I even got to feed the octopus!
If you ever come to Rhode Island, you have to check out Biomes!
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