Trireme Ghost Wreck
Epaulette Shark
A clever little carpet shark that lives in shallow tropical reefs off Australia and New Guinea, sometimes even venturing into exposed tide pools at low tide.
It is most active at night, when it hunts for bottom-dwelling prey. During the day, it hides to rest.
One of its most extraordinary talents is walking! Instead of swimming all the time, it uses its paddle-shaped fins to wriggle across the seabed, and can even survive out of water for short stretches by “walking” between pools. It's also extremely tough, able to live through low-oxygen conditions in shallow pools that would be deadly to many other creatures.
When it's time to reproduce, the female lays pairs of eggs (about two at a time) on the reef every couple of weeks. These hard “mermaid purses” hatch after 120–130 days, releasing baby sharks that are about 14 cm long.
Because they're common in well-protected Australian reefs, not heavily fished, and well-adapted to harsh conditions, the IUCN lists the Epaulette Shark as Least Concern.
Trireme Ghost Wreck
Epaulette Shark
A clever little carpet shark that lives in shallow tropical reefs off Australia and New Guinea, sometimes even venturing into exposed tide pools at low tide.
It is most active at night, when it hunts for bottom-dwelling prey. During the day, it hides to rest.
One of its most extraordinary talents is walking! Instead of swimming all the time, it uses its paddle-shaped fins to wriggle across the seabed, and can even survive out of water for short stretches by “walking” between pools. It's also extremely tough, able to live through low-oxygen conditions in shallow pools that would be deadly to many other creatures.
When it's time to reproduce, the female lays pairs of eggs (about two at a time) on the reef every couple of weeks. These hard “mermaid purses” hatch after 120–130 days, releasing baby sharks that are about 14 cm long.
Because they're common in well-protected Australian reefs, not heavily fished, and well-adapted to harsh conditions, the IUCN lists the Epaulette Shark as Least Concern.
