Epaulette shark
Amazing fact
Epaulette sharks walk using their pectoral and pelvic fins like feet.
Aquarium of the Pacific
No sign-up needed. You can save notes on this device.
An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Epaulette sharks walk using their pectoral and pelvic fins like feet.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Epaulette shark
- Scientific name
- Hemiscyllium ocellatum
- Japanese name
- マモンツキテンジクザメ（エポーレットシャーク）
- Group
- Ocean animals
- Class
- Chondrichthyes
- Order
- Orectolobiformes
- Family
- Hemiscylliidae
- Genus
- Hemiscyllium
Where the name “Epaulette shark” comes from
The “epaulette” in its English name refers to an ornament on the shoulder of a military uniform.
Florida MuseumIt lives on coral reefs in northern Australia and the western Pacific.
How the Epaulette shark lives
They often forage at dawn and dusk. They push their snouts into sand and thrash their bodies to catch hidden prey. When resting, they hide under ledges or in coral crevices. Fibers on laid eggs catch on coral or rocks, holding them in place.
Aquarium of the PacificFlorida MuseumBasic data
- Range
- Northern Australia and the western Pacific
Where the Epaulette shark has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 简体中文
- 斑点长尾须鲨
- 繁體中文
- 肩章鯊
- Français
- Requin-chabot ocellé
- Deutsch
- Schwarzfleckiger Bambushai
- Português (Brasil)
- Tubarão-epaulette
- Italiano
- Squalo spallina
- العربية
- قرش الكتاف
- Tiếng Việt
- Cá mập Epaulette
- Русский
- Глазчатая кошачья акула
- Türkçe
- Apolet köpek balığı
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 鳥羽水族館 — マモンツキテンジクザメ（エポーレットシャーク）Checked: 2026-11-04
- Aquarium of the Pacific — Epaulette SharkChecked: 2026-11-07
- Florida Museum — Epaulette SharkChecked: 2026-11-07
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeRELATIVES
Others in Hemiscylliidae
MORE TO MEET
