page_title: Puffadder shyshark
section_title: Biology and ecology
hierarchical_section_title: Puffadder shyshark / Biology and ecology
caption_attribution_description: Puffadder shyshark (Haploblepharus edwardsii) in False Bay, Cape Town
context_page_description: The puffadder shyshark is a species of catshark, belonging to the family Scyliorhinidae, endemic to the temperate waters off the coast of South Africa. This common shark is found on or near the bottom in sandy or rocky habitats, from the intertidal zone to a depth of 130 m. Typically reaching 60 cm in length, the puffadder shyshark has a slender, flattened body and head. It is strikingly patterned with a series of dark-edged, bright orange "saddles" and numerous small white spots over its back. The Natal shyshark, formally described in 2006, was once considered to be an alternate form of the puffadder shyshark.
  When threatened, the puffadder shyshark curls into a circle with its tail covering its eyes, giving rise to the local names "shyshark" and "doughnut". It is a predator that feeds mainly on crustaceans, polychaete worms, and small bony fishes. This shark is oviparous and females deposit egg capsules singly or in pairs onto underwater structures. Harmless to humans, the puffadder shyshark is usually discarded by commercial and recreational fishers alike for its small size.
context_section_description: Quite common within its small range, the sluggish and reclusive puffadder shyshark is often seen lying still on the sea floor. It is gregarious and several individuals may rest together. A generalist predator with grasping dentition, the puffadder shyshark is known to take a variety of small benthic prey: crustaceans (including crabs, shrimp, crayfish, mantis shrimp, and hermit crabs), annelid worms (including polychaetes), bony fishes (including anchovies, jack macherels, and gobies), cephalopods (including squid), and fish offal. Overall, the most important component of this shark's diet is crustaceans, followed by polychaetes and then fishes. Males seem to prefer polychaetes, while females prefer crustaceans. It has been observed attacking a common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) by tearing off an arm with a twisting motion.
  The puffadder shyshark is preyed upon by larger fishes, such as the broadnose sevengill shark (Notorynchus cepedianus). The Cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) has been documented capturing and playing with puffadder shysharks, tossing them into the air or gnawing on them. The shark is often injured or killed during these encounters; the seal may eat torn-off pieces of flesh, but seldom consumes the entire shark. On occasion, black-backed kelp gulls (Larus dominicanus vetula) take advantage of this behavior and steal the sharks from the seals. When threatened or disturbed, the puffadder shyshark adopts a characteristic posture in which it curls into a ring and covers its eyes with its tail; this reaction is the basis for the common names "shyshark" and "doughnut", and is likely meant to make the shark harder for a predator to swallow.
  The eggs of the puffadder shyshark are fed upon by the whelks Burnupena papyracea and B. lagenaria, at least in captivity. Known parasites of this species include the trypanosome Trypanosoma haploblephari, which infests the blood, the nematode Proleptus obtusus, which infests the intestine, and the copepods Charopinus dalmanni and Perissopus oblongatus, which infest the skin. Another parasite is the praniza larval stage of the isopod Gnathia pantherina, which infests the nares, mouth, and gills. The deep-penetrating mouthparts of these larvae significantly damage local tissue, causing bleeding and inflammation.
caption: The puffadder shyshark is a slow-moving, benthic species.
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