Group IUCN · Least Concern (LC)

Reef Shark

Furgaleus macki, (Whitley, 1943)

marine

About Reef Shark

The whiskery shark (Furgaleus macki) 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 (720 ft). 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 (5.2 ft) 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. Its numbers declined significantly from overfishing in the 1970s and early 1980s, leading to the introduction of new management measures in the mid-1980s. Since then, strict fishery management has kept the whiskery shark population stable or increasing, resulting in its listing as of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Appearance

The whiskery shark has a moderately stout build, with an almost "humpbacked" appearance. The short snout is rounded or wedge-shaped when viewed from above. This species is the only houndshark in which the flaps of skin preceding the nostrils are elongated into thin barbels. The horizontally oval eyes are placed high on the head and are equipped with rudimentary nictitating membranes (protective third eyelids). Beneath the eye is a prominent ridge, and behind it is a tiny spiracle. The mouth forms a short, wide arch, and bears somewhat long furrows at the corners. Tooth rows number 24–32 in the upper and 36–42 in the lower jaw. Each upper tooth has an angled, knife-like main cusp with smaller cusplets on the trailing side, while each lower tooth has a single upright cusp. Five pairs of gill slits are seen.

Habitat

Endemic to Australia, the whiskery shark inhabits temperate continental shelf waters from the North West Cape in Western Australia to Wynyard in Tasmania. It is most common in the southwestern portion of its range between Kalbarri and Albany, and is rare off Victoria and Tasmania. Its range seems to encompass a single population. This species is found close to the bottom at depths to 220 m (720 ft). It favors rocky areas and kelp beds.

Behaviour

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.

Humans & conservation

Harmless to humans, the whiskery shark is fished commercially for its meat, which is sold fresh. It is one of the shark species marketed as "flake". Along with the dusky shark (Carcharhinus obscurus) and the gummy shark (Mustelus antarcticus), it is targeted by a shark fishery operating off Western Australia, currently managed as the Western Australian Joint Authority Southern Demersal Gillnet and Demersal Longline Fishery. The fishery began in the 1940s with a small number of demersal longline vessels, though the whiskery shark was not caught in substantial numbers until the 1970s, with the introduction of monofilament gillnets, hydraulic net haulers, and additional vessels. Catches peaked in the early 1980s, when 400–600 tons were taken annually.