Chiloscyllium

Chiloscyllium is a genus of bottom-dwelling sharks known as bamboo sharks and carpetsharks, placed in the family Hemiscylliidae, and comprising species including the grey bamboo shark, brown-banded bamboo shark, white-spotted bamboo shark, and slender bamboo shark, among others, distributed across the Indo-West Pacific. Members of the genus are recognised by a relatively long snout with nostrils set close to the mouth, eyes and supraorbital ridges that sit nearly flush with the head, and a mouth positioned closer to the eyes than to the snout tip; the lower lip typically carries a connecting skin fold beneath the chin. Their pectoral and pelvic fins are thin and only weakly muscular, reflecting a slow-moving, bottom-dwelling lifestyle. Juveniles of several species are strongly marked with dark spots or bars, patterning that usually fades substantially as the sharks mature.