Epaulette Shark, Hemiscyllium ocellatum (Bonnaterre, 1788)

Introduction

The Epaulette Shark is a slender species that has a large black ocellus (eye-like spot with a marginal ring) above the pectoral fin. It is endemic (found only in) the Great Barrier Reef from about the northern tip of Cape York Peninsula to the southern extremity of the Great Barrier Reef at the Capricorn Group. It is a bottom-dwelling species which lives primarily in warm, shallow waters.

3D interactive model of an Epaulette Shark

_{3D model made by cdmstudio.com.au}

Identification

The Epaulette Shark is a slender species that has a large black ocellus (eye-like spot with a marginal ring) above the pectoral fin and widely spaced black spots on the body. It has two similar sized dorsal fins and an anal fin positioned just anterior to the tail.

The species has a oronasal groove which connects the mouth to the nostrils, small triangular teeth, and short nasal barbels.

The Epaulette Shark is a member of the fish family Hemiscylliidae, collectively called the Longtail Carpet Sharks. In Australia, the family contains four species, the Epaulette Shark, Hemiscyllium ocellatum, the Speckled Carpet Shark, Hemiscyllium trispeculare, the Papuan Epaulette Shark, Hemiscyllium hallstromi and the Grey Carpet Shark, Chiloscyllium punctatum.

An easy way to tell the difference between the Epaulette and Speckled Carpet Shark is the presence of small dark spots immediately behind the ocellus of the Speckled Carpet Shark. These spots are absent in the Epaulette Shark.

Habitat

It is a bottom-dwelling species which lives primarily in warm, shallow marine waters.

Distribution

The Epaulette Shark is endemic to the Great Barrier Reef, from about the northern tip of Cape York Peninsula to the southern extremity of the Great Barrier Reef at the Capricorn Group. The northernmost record is from Sunday Island (11°56’ S, 143°12’ E), a small islet situated less than 3 km from the mainland coast.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Source: Atlas of Living Australia. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

Feeding and diet

The Epaulette Shark eats worms, crabs, shrimp, amphipods and small fishes. They use olfaction (sense of smell) and electroreception (the ability to detect weak naturally occurring electrostatic fields in the environment) to detect their prey. The Epaulette shark is more active and dusk and night.

Life history

Males mature at around 55-60 cm in length and the females at 55-64 cm and can grow to 107 cm. The Epaulette Shark is an oviparous (lays eggs) species. The eggs are about 10 cm long and 4 cm wide. They hatch after about 130 days. Young are around 15 cm in length when they hatch.