Extinct shark found in Kuwait fish market

A shark species previously thought to have been extinct was reportedly found in a fish market in the Middle East.

This is the smoothtooth blacktip shark, and the last time anyone ever reported seeing one was was in 1902 in Yemen. Scientists eventually labeled it extinct, or vulnerable to extinction in the 1980's.

Then in 2008, the Shark Conservation Society took a trip to a fish market in Kuwait. They were looking at sharks and noticed one looked 'very similar, but different, to a couple of other species.' So of course they decided to investigate.

Further analysis confirmed it was in fact the smoothtooth blacktip shark.

But there's more: Recent studies of Middle Eastern fish markets also counted as many as 47 more have been spotted.

Now this doesn't mean the species is necessarily thriving, but it does mean scientists have a greater chances at learning more about the shark and possibly even ways to save the species.