Epaulette shark: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the epaulette shark lives – recorded in 1 country, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Hemiscyllium ocellatum
Group	Sharks
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	1 country
Continents	Oceania
Class	Cartilaginous fish
Order	Orectolobiformes
Family	Hemiscylliidae

Where does the epaulette shark live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the epaulette shark in 1 country or territory across Oceania.

Australia

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the epaulette shark endangered?

The epaulette shark’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the epaulette shark?

The epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) is a cartilaginous fish in the order Orectolobiformes and the family Hemiscylliidae, genus Hemiscyllium. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the epaulette shark

The epaulette shark (, Hemiscyllium ocellatum) is a species of longtailed carpet shark of the family Hemiscylliidae, found in shallow, tropical waters off Australia and New Guinea (and possibly elsewhere). The common name of this shark comes from the very large, white-margined black spot behind each pectoral fin, which are reminiscent of military epaulettes. A small species (usually under 1 m (3.3 ft) long), the epaulette shark has a slender body with a short head and broad, paddle-shaped paired fins. The caudal peduncle (to which the tail fin is attached) comprises over half the shark's length. Adults are light brown above, with scattered darker spots and indistinct saddles.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Epaulette shark (revision 1357696084), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q29243 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).