Blind shark

© Gerard Soury

You may know that some sharks will roll their eyes to the back of their head or have a "third membrane" cover their eyes for protection. The blind shark (Brachaelurus waddi), takes that skill to a new level. The blind shark isn’t actually blind -- it just closes its eyes when it’s taken out of the water.

Almost like it’s saying: "If I can’t see that I’m out of the water, then I’m not out of the water."

This stout shark is one of two species of carpet shark in the Brachaeluridae family (the other is the blue-grey carpet shark, Brachaelurus colcloughi). 

They are endemic to eastern Australia, and are commonly found along the bottom (mainly rocky or seagrass beds), from the intertidal down to 140 m (460 ft) deep. They can frequent tidal pools, and may become trapped from the receding tide. No worries,  though. They can survive for a while outside of the water!

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© Andy Murch

Blind sharks reach anywhere from 62-66 cm (24-26 in), and have a gray-brown colour with white flecks and dark bands that eventually fade with time. They have a flat and blunt head, with small eyes on the top, large spiracles behind the eyes and barbels by their tiny mouth. Something unique about how they look? They have two pretty equal-sized dorsal fins located far back on their body! Not all sharks have that. 

They are pretty sluggish during the day, hiding in shady areas (such as caves or ledges) until nightfall. That’s when the blind shark hunts for its munchies: small invertebrates, cuttlefish, squid, sea anemones, shrimp, crabs and bony fish.

The sharks are viviparous with females having litters of around seven or eight pups in the summer months. #Finfact: there is no placenta formed during this birth! Researchers believe that these sharks give birth every year.

They can be easily kept in captivity, but are not valued by either commercial or recreational fisheries. The IUCN has assessed these sharks as Least Concern (LC).

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ever heard of this shark?

glossary

• Bycatch: The part of a fishery’s catch that is made up of non-target species. 
• Commercial fishery: The activity of catching fish and other seafood for profit.
• IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
• Oviparous: The eggs hatch and the babies develop inside the female’s body, without a placenta to nourish the pups.
• Pups: Baby sharks.
• Recreational fishery: Also called sport fishing, it is fishing for pleasure or competition.
• Viviparous: Eggs hatch inside the female's body and the babies are fed by a placenta which transfers nourishment from the mother to the babies (via an umbilical cord which is connected to the baby shark between the pectoral fins).​

say hello!

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