Epaulette shark
(Hemiscyllium ocellatum)
a shark that walks on land
Diet
Feeds on crabs and worms
Habitat
Found in shallow coral reefs and coastal waters around the north, east and west of Australia.
Fin-tastic facts
The Great Barrier Reef is a tough place to live, even for a shark. Extreme tides and high temperatures leave the reef as a series of rockpools at low tide. Bigger sharks are forced into deeper water, leaving the Epaulette shark alone to exploit the riches of the reef undisturbed. Unlike any other shark, the Epaulette has an uncanny ability to walk. It uses its fins as prototype legs to crawl over the exposed reef between rockpools that contain its prey. But no shark can breathe out of water. This is not a problem for the epaulette shark though, as it can survive 60 times longer without oxygen than humans can! In order to do this the little shark slows its breathing and heart rate and powers down its brain. These incredible physiological changes mean the Epaulette shark has more time to hunt on the reef before the tide rises and the bigger sharks move back in. This shark is truly the master of the intertidal environment.
