Nature Atlas

How Nature Works
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Specy

Epaulette Shark

Fish

The epaulette shark, Hemiscyllium ocellatum, is a species of longtailed carpet shark in the family Hemiscylliidae, found in shallow tropical waters off Australia and New Guinea. It takes its name from a large, white-margined black spot behind each pectoral fin that resembles a military epaulette, and it is a small, slender-bodied shark typically under one meter long, with more than half its length made up of the tail. Nocturnal and often found on coral reefs and in tidal pools, it has an unusual tolerance for low oxygen and can survive complete anoxia for up to two hours, and rather than swimming it often walks along the seafloor by wriggling and pushing with its paired fins. It feeds on small bottom-dwelling invertebrates and fish, lays eggs, and is popular in aquariums for its hardiness. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Classification
Diet
Carnivore 1
System (Realm)
Marine 2
Relationship to People
Kept as Pets 1
Living or Extinct
Yes 3
Scientific Name
Hemiscyllium ocellatum 3
Conservation Status
Least Concern 1
Comparison
CITES Appendix
Not Listed 4
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Chondrichthyes, Taxa
Source Epaulette Shark (Wikidata)

In Biome

Coral Reef, Biomes
Source Epaulette Shark (Wikidata)

In Ecosystem

Source Epaulette Shark (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Epaulette Shark (Wikipedia)
  • Introduction
    Due to their hardiness and small size, epaulette sharks are popular with both public and home aquaria. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed this species as of Least Concern, as outside of the small aquarium trade it is of little interest to fisheries.
  • Lead section
    This species feeds on a wide range of small benthic invertebrates and bony fishes.
  • article text (relationship to people), EntityId 408553
    The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed this species as of Least Concern, as outside of the small aquarium trade it is of little interest to fisheries.
  • In Ecosystem: Coral Reef Systems, article text (ecosystem), EntityId 408553, target E16329
    Epaulette sharks have nocturnal habits and frequent shallow water on coral reefs or in tidal pools.
View the Source
2. GBIF Species API
GBIF Species APIView the Source
3. Epaulette Shark (Wikidata)
Wikidata
  • Wikidata Q29243 (P225 taxon name)
  • Statements section, conservation status (P141)
    IUCN Red List conservation status (Wikidata property P141): least concern.
  • Child Taxon Of: Chondrichthyes, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
  • In Biome: Coral Reef, Introduction
View the Source
4. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Elasmobranchii
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 33
Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 33
"cites_listing":"I/II/III/NC","eu_listing":"A/B/C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":"Chordata","class":"Elasmobranchii","order":null,"family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"Requins","language":"FR"},{"name":"Tiburones","language":"ES"},{"name":"Sharks","language":"EN"},{"name":"板鳃亚纲","language":"ZH"}],"cites_listings":[]
View the Source
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Orectolobiformes
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 80
Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 80
"cites_listing":"I/NC","eu_listing":"A/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":"Chordata","class":"Elasmobranchii","order":"Orectolobiformes","family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"须鲨目","language":"ZH"}],"cites_listings":[]
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.