page_title: Whiskery shark
section_title: Biology and ecology
hierarchical_section_title: Whiskery shark / Biology and ecology
caption_attribution_description: Octopus in a tidal pool in New South Wales, Australia
context_page_description: The whiskery shark is a species of houndshark in the family Triakidae, and the only member of its genus. This common shark inhabits the Australian continental shelf from Western Australia to the Bass Strait, to a depth of 220 m. It is demersal in habits and prefers rocky and vegetated habitats. Stout-bodied and almost "humpbacked" in form, the whiskery shark can be distinguished from all other members of its family by the presence of long nasal barbels. Its two moderately large dorsal fins are roughly equal in size. It is brownish gray above and lighter below, with a pattern of darker saddles and blotches in younger sharks. This species reaches 1.6 m in length.
  The diet of the whiskery shark consists almost entirely of octopuses. It is viviparous; females bear litters of four to 28 pups every other year from August to October, after a gestation period of 7–9 months. This harmless shark is used for its meat, being one of the species marketed as "flake" in Australia. It is mainly caught by a Western Australian commercial gillnet fishery.
context_section_description: The whiskery shark is an active and highly specialized predator, feeding almost exclusively on octopuses. Other cephalopods, bony fishes, small rock lobsters, spoon worms, and seagrass have also been found amongst its stomach contents. A known parasite of this species is the tapeworm Calliobothrium pritchardae.
  Like other houndsharks, the whiskery shark is viviparous; the developing embryos are sustained by yolk and probably also maternally produced histotroph. Males can mate every year, while females have a biennial reproductive cycle. Mating takes place in August and September; females store sperm until late January to early April of the following year, when the ova are ready to be ovulated into the uterus. After a 7– to 9-month-long gestation period, litters of four to 28 (average 19) pups are born between August and October. The litter size increases with the size of the female. The newborns measure 22–27 cm (8.7–10.6 in) long.
  Juvenile whiskery sharks are rarely caught by commercial fishers, suggesting that nursery areas may be found in deeper water or other unfished habitats. Pups double to triple in size in the first 15–17 months of life, and continue to grow rapidly until they are 3–4 years old. Sexual maturity is attained at a length of 1.1–1.3 m (3.6–4.3 ft) for both sexes, corresponding to around five years of age for males and seven years of age for females. Mature sharks exhibit negligible growth rates, perhaps due to resources being diverted towards reproduction. The maximum lifespan is estimated to be 15 years.
caption: Octopuses are the predominant food source of the whiskery shark.
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