General Description

Enormous plankton-feeding shark with 5 extremely long gill slits that extend from the top to the underside of the head, a stout streamlined body, a crescent-shaped tail and the mouth extending well-beyond the eye with rows of minute teeth in each jaw. Dark greyish-brown above, paler below. To 10 m.

Biology

A pelagic shark, often seen in surface waters although also recorded to about 1000 m. It feeds by sieving zooplankton from the water with its bristle-like gill rakers. It is the only species in its Family (monotypic) and is rare in Australia.

Habitat

In coastal areas and in the open ocean, from the surface to a depth of 1000 m.

Open water

Distribution guide

Worldwide. Southern Australia.

Species Group

Sharks and rays › Sharks

Depth

Shallow (1-30 m)
Deep ( > 30 m)

Water Column

Midwater Surface

Max Size

10 m

Diet

Carnivore

Harmful

Considered harmless to humans.

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Recorded in Australia

Conservation Status

• DSE Advisory List : Not listed
• EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
• IUCN Red List : Vulnerable