The Hasselt’s bamboo shark is a longtail carpet shark living in coastal waters in Southeast Asia.
Hasselt’s Bamboo Shark Scientific Classification |
|
Kingdom | Animalia |
Phylum | Chordata |
Class | Chondrichthyes |
Order | Orectolobiformes |
Family | Hemiscylliidae |
Genus | Chiloscyllium |
Scientific Name | C. hasseltii |
Description
These sharks are about 23.6 inches long. While the adults do not display any markings and are medium to dark brown, the juveniles have alternating dark bands with black edging.
Where do they live
They live in the western Indo-Pacific, with sightings in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. As of 2020, this shark has been found in the ocean around Bangladesh.
Hasselt’s bamboo sharks are bottom dwellers, preferring muddy and sandy ocean floors.
Behavior
Reproductive
These sharks are oviparous, with the eggs attaching themselves to benthic marine plants. The eggs hatch around December.
At birth, the sharks are 3.7-4.7 inches long, while the males mature at about 17.3 – 23.2 inches. The length at which the females become mature is unknown as of yet.
Interactions with humans
The IUCN classifies this shark as “Endangered” or “EN” because its population is at risk due to overfishing and loss of habitat.