Reef Shark, Whiskery Shark photos and information

Reef / Whiskery Shark (Furgaleus macki) Photographs and Information

Scientific Name	Furgaleus macki
Location	Southern half of Australia.
Season	-
Size	160cm 15Kg 130cm 11Kg
Australian Species Code	37 017003
Taste, Texture	-

Information about Reef / Whiskery Shark (Furgaleus macki):

Whiskery shark or hound shark with anterior nasal flaps modified into slender barbels, two dorsal fins of a similar size and each larger than the anal fin. Juveniles have dark blotches on the body and fins.
Brownish grey dorsally, pale ventrally. Juveniles creamy white with dark blotches on body and fins; blotches fade with increasing size and may be absent in adults.

Size: Born at about 25cm and attains 160cm. Both sexes mature at about 120cm.

Distribution: Temperate continental shelf waters from Exmouth Gulf (Western Australia) to Wynyard (Bass Strait). Rare off Victoria and Tasmania. Lives on or near the bottom to a depth of 220m.

Distinctive features: Body moderately elongate and slender. snout short and broadly rounded; eyes oval; anterior nasal flaps modified into slender barbels that are well separated from mouth. Upper labial furrows extending to level of upper jaw symphysis, lower labial furrows shorter than uppers. Upper teeth blade-like, compressed, with an oblique cusp and lateral cusplets; lower teeth erect, without cusplets. First dorsal-fin origin behind free rear tips of pectoral fin. Second dorsal-fin origin ahead of anal-fin origin. Dorsal fins about equal in size, both larger than anal fin. Subterminal lobe of caudal fin short, its length about 2.5-4 in dorsal caudal-fin margin. Tooth count 24-32/36-42.

Little is known of the biology of this shark. It is ovoviviparous with litter sizes ranging from 5-24. It probably gives birth in spring or early summer. The diet consists mainly of cephalopods (particularly octopus), although teleost fish and crustaceans are also taken. The whiskery shark is a major species in the Western Australian shark fishery (total catch 1600 tonnes in 1989/90 with a value of $6 million) of which it comprises about 22% of the total catch by weight. The fishery is now thought to be fully exploited, with signs of over-fishing. Information is urgently needed on the biology of this species.

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**Reef / Whiskery Shark (Furgaleus macki) Photographs and Information**

Information about Reef / Whiskery Shark (Furgaleus macki):