Mandarin Shark

A Mandarin Shark caught south-east of Green Cape Photographer: Tom Trnski © Australian Museum

Also known as the Southern Mandarin Dogshark, Cirrhigaleus australis is found in Japan, Taiwan and Indonesian waters. As with many rare animals, we know very little about these sharks.

The overall shape of this animal makes scientists believe it is a slow moving species... which isn't too much of a problem since they most likely eat bottom-dwelling fishes and invertebrates. #Finfact: The long barbels around the mouth? Probably help detect prey that try to hide beneath the sand! Found on the uppermost continental and insular slopes, and probably some continental-insular shelves at depths of 146-640 metres deep, they reach lengths of up to 126 cm total length (TL).  The Mandarin Shark is viviparous, with yolk-sac dependency. 

This species is assessed as Data Deficient (DD) by the IUCN. Further investigation into populations and range of this species is necessary. 

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GLOSSARY

• Continental shelf: Extends from a continent underwater, resulting in a shallow-water area.
• Continental slope: The steep slope from a continental shelf to the ocean floor; usually around 20 km (12.4 miles) wide and made up of mud and silt substrate. It is an ideal area for deepsea fishing.​
• Insular slope: The shelf around an island.
• IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature.
• Viviparous with yolk-sac: Also known as aplacental viviparous and previously known as ovoviviparous/ovoviviparity; it is the production of eggs that are fertilised and hatch inside the female shark but the embryos lack a placental connection to the oviduct or uterus and so do not feed off the mother.​

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