Brownbanded bamboo shark

Chiloscyllium punctatum

The brownbanded bamboo shark, ''Chiloscyllium punctatum'', is a bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae found in the Indo-West Pacific from Japan to northern Australia, between latitudes 34° N and 26° S, to depths of 85 metres . Its length is up to 1.04 metres . While adults are overall brownish with faint suggestions of bands, the commonly seen juveniles are distinctly barred dark and pale.

Classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List Unknown, . "Chiloscyllium punctatum." International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. N.p., 2010. Web. 15 April 2010. .
Brown Banded Bamboo Shark This is a juvenile Brown Banded Bamboo Shark - Chiloscyllium punctatum. Saw it during a night dive when it was out in the open hunting for food, mostly for crustaceans (crabs) hiding under the sands. This the juvenile phase, they have very distinct dark and light bands. This one was just around 25-30 cm in length and slender, a friend mentioned, could it be that they are trying to mimic a banded seas snake since sea snakes are venomous and this mimicry may offers them 'protection' from their predators who will likely stay away from sea snakes. Bamboo Shark,Brownbanded bamboo shark,Cebu,Chiloscyllium punctatum,Geotagged,Malapascua,Philippines,Shark,Spring

Habitat

These sharks live around coral reefs and tide pools.
Bamboo Shark - Chiloscyllium punctatum This Bamboo Shark - Chiloscyllium punctatum was seen 'sleeping' in a deep crevice in an underwater tunnel. I had to 'squeezed' myself into the crevices to get a closer-up picture of this Shark but it was not possible to get a picture of the whole shark. This is a 'teenage' shark, still with the distinctly barred dark and pale, whereas full adult Bamboo Sharks are overall brownish/grey in colour. Bamboo Shark,Brownbanded bamboo shark,Chiloscyllium punctatum,Fish,Geotagged,Malapascua,Philippines,Shark,Spring,cebu

Food

These sharks are carnivores that should be fed 2-3 times a week; some of their diet includes fresh shrimp,
scallop, squid, and marine fish. Along with the food, these sharks should take some iodine supplements to
prevent goiter disease. Two things to be aware of when feeding the shark: one is to make sure that the meals
are bite-sized or else it will throw it back up and the second is sometimes juveniles are difficult to get to eat so
adding a flavor enhances their interest .Unknown, . "Cat shark – Chiloscyllium punctatum." Aquatic community. N.p., 2008. Web. 15 April 2010. .

Uses

The minimum size of the tank that can carry an adult cat shark is about 180 gallons. Because these sharks are nocturnal species they will need some type of shaded area within the tank where the shark could hide. Although these sharks do not swim around too much, it is highly suggested that the items within the tank should be stable; cat sharks are very strong and will knock down anything that is not stable inside the tank. Also this shark should not be placed with Triggers and Puffers, they will nip at the shark’s fins, nor should they be placed with aggressive feeders.Unknown, . "Cat shark – Chiloscyllium punctatum." Aquatic community. N.p., 2008. Web. 15 April 2010. .

References:

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Status: Near threatened
EX EW CR EN VU NT LC
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionChordata
ClassChondrichthyes
OrderOrectolobiformes
FamilyHemiscylliidae
GenusChiloscyllium
SpeciesC. punctatum
Photographed in
Philippines