For the very first sentence , scientists have catch live footage of the painted swellshark ( Cephaloscyllium pictum ) — a super - elusive , blotchy catshark that until now had only been known from ill-omened specimens haul into Indonesian fish markets .

The television ( below ) was film in November 2024 during a late projection supported by the National Geographic Society that attempted to follow thedeep - seawaters off the coast of Timor - Leste in Southeast Asia using drop - tv camera . To their surprise , the television camera managed to spot a painted swellshark at depth of 536 and 570 cadence ( 1,758 to 1,870 foot ) , swim around the unconscionable jumpy slopes .

Identifying to the specie level is quite a skill !

“ fundamentally , we just desire to see what is down there – the paint swellshark was a bonus ! But also a decent meter reading that there is loads to still search and identify in Timor - Leste,”Louw Claassens , lead author of the new study and animal scientist at Rhodes University , told IFLScience .

Identifying this character was n’t easy , though . To guarantee it really was a painted swellshark , the team looped in Dr Dave Ebert , make love as the Lost Shark Guy for his drive to find and identify unknownsharks , as well as Dr William White , a aged curator of the Australian National Fish Collection at CSIRO .

The newly take species belong to the genusCephaloscyllium , many of which have a warm , patchy colour rule . However , it ’s possible to speciate the specie by take a closer look at their patterning and body shape .

“ identify to the species level is quite a acquisition ! What might front standardised to me and you , can see clearly unlike to the rail eye , ” explained Claassens .

Since the species was previously identified in Indonesian Pisces food market , the footage extends the species ’ screw range by around 1,100 kilometers ( 683 miles ) and suggests it might not be as elusive as antecedently don .

" Researchers usually make use of Pisces market or fisher collar . This shark lives quite cryptic , and regular plunger surveys will not detect it . So , the next best affair is to see if fishers catch it and use specimens from markets . The probability is much higher that you will find some specimens , as oppose to dropping a few cameras into the ocean , ” commented Claassens .

The discovery is a boon for Timor - Leste , a young nation that has emerged from a troubled history . Colonized by Portugal in the 16th century , it declared independence in 1975 , only to be invaded and annex by Indonesia shortly after . During the 24 - year occupation , the Timorese people endured far-flung violence and human rightfield abuses . They obtain full independence in 2002 , but their res publica continues to be one of the poorest in the world .

This latest study further reveal that Timor - Leste is avibrant hotspot of maritime biodiversity , and is likely to be teem with many more hidden treasures .

“ What I like about this undertaking is that we were able to actually do it . On a super small budget . And we dived into the inscrutable ocean of Timor for the first time ! For a least developed land , one of the mankind ’s newest countries , this is quite big , ” Claassens add .

The study is published in the journalOryx .