Epaulette Shark

The Epaulette Shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) is a small, elongated bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae, native to shallow reef habitats of northern Australia and New Guinea. It is renowned for its ability to 'walk' across exposed reef flats and tide pools using its muscular, paddle-shaped paired fins, and for tolerating extremely low oxygen conditions during low tide better than almost any other shark. Named for the large, dark eyespot resembling a military epaulette located behind each pectoral fin, it is a harmless, slow-moving nocturnal predator and a popular aquarium and research species due to its hardiness and remarkable physiological adaptations.

Key field marks:

• Slender, elongated body, pale tan to light brown with numerous small dark spots
• Large black eyespot ringed in white just behind each pectoral fin
• Long, paddle-like pectoral and pelvic fins used for 'walking'
• Small, rounded head with short barbels near the nostrils
• Two small, similarly sized dorsal fins set far back on the body

The prominent shoulder eyespots combined with the walking gait on paired fins distinguish it from all other reef sharks.

Restricted to shallow coral reef flats, seagrass beds, and tide pools of northern Australia (Great Barrier Reef region) and southern New Guinea. Found from the intertidal zone to about 50 m, but most commonly encountered in water less than a meter deep at low tide, including isolated tide pools that become hypoxic. Prefers warm tropical waters and reef substrates offering coral rubble and crevices for shelter between low tides.

Epaulette Sharks are nocturnal and forage by probing coral rubble and sand for small invertebrates and fish using suction feeding. Their signature behavior is 'walking,' using sequential flexing of paired pectoral and pelvic fins to move across exposed reef flats or between isolated tide pools at low tide, allowing them to exploit habitat unavailable to swimming fish. They possess exceptional tolerance to hypoxia and can survive hours of severely low oxygen and elevated temperature in stranded tide pools by reducing non-essential functions. Reproduction is oviparous, with females laying paired egg cases attached to reef structure.