Hemiscylliidae - bamboo sharks, longtail carpet sharks

There are around 12 species in this family of small sharks. Longtail carpet sharks and bamboo sharks are usually less than four feet in length. They are found in shallow tropical waters in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

They have long, cylindrical bodies with tails that are longer than their bodies. They have barbels on their snouts.

Many of the sharks in this family have spotted and banded markings on their bodies. They feed on the ocean floor and eat small fish and crustaceans.

World Status Key
Least Concern Near Threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically Endangered Extinct in Wild Extinct
Status taken from ICUN Redlist. If no status is listed, there is not enough data to establish status, or there is no status data for the species.

US Status Key
Threatened in US Threatened in NH Endangered in US Endangered in NH Introduced
Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife and NH Fish and Game

Species Around the World
Location Key Africa Asia Australia/Oceania Europe North/Central America South America NH Species Atlantic Ocean Arctic Ocean Indian Ocean Mediterranean/Black Sea Pacific Ocean
Arabian Carpetshark - Chiloscyllium arabicum Burmese Bambooshark - Chiloscyllium burmensis Gray Bamboo Shark - Chiloscyllium griseum Indonesian Bambooshark - Chiloscyllium hasselti Ridgebacked Bamboo Shark - Chiloscyllium indicum Whitespotted Bamboo Shark - Chiloscyllium plagiosum Brownbanded Bamboo Shark - Chiloscyllium punctatum Indonesian Speckled Carpet Shark - Hemiscyllium freycineti Papuan Epaulette Shark - Hemiscyllium hallstromi Epaulette Shark - Hemiscyllium ocellatum Hooded Carpet Shark - Hemiscyllium strahani Speckled Carpet Shark - Hemiscyllium trispeculare

Additional Information

Resource Key
Profile Photos Video Audio

Brownbanded Bamboo Shark - Chiloscyllium punctatum
The brownbanded bamboo shark is found in the waters off of Australia, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Epaulette Shark - Hemiscyllium ocellatum
The brownbanded bamboo shark is found in the waters off of Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Hooded Carpet Shark - Hemiscyllium strahani
The hooded carpet shark is found in the waters off of Papua New Guinea.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Papuan Epaulette Shark - Hemiscyllium hallstromi
The Papuan epaulette shark is found in the waters off of Papua New Guinea.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Whitespotted Bamboo Shark - Chiloscyllium plagiosum
The whitespotted bamboo shark is also known as the bluespotted bamboo shark. It is found in the waters off of China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam .
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School