12/20/2022: Scientists discover hammerhead shark nursery on Galapagos
A research team has discovered a nursery for baby hammerhead sharks off an island in Ecuador's Galapagos Archipelago. This discovery could help save the species from extinction. The so-called sanctuary for hammerhead hatchlings less than a year old was discovered near Isabela Island, the largest island in the Galapagos, and provides sanctuary for the sharks during mating and early development. "The discovery of these new breeding grounds is very important, especially for the hammerhead shark," park ranger Eduardo Espinoza said in a statement from the Galapagos National Park on Friday (16). "It is an iconic species for the Galapagos Islands, but the species is critically endangered." The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the scalloped hammerhead shark, which occurs in the Galapagos Islands, as "Critically Endangered " a. The stock is threatened primarily by commercial fishing and the demand for shark fins, which are used to make shark fin soup. (Source: latina-press.de)