General Description

Body robust, brownish to greyish with a broad dark saddle behind the eyes, and a dense pattern of very dark irregular spots, blotches and saddles, sometimes with paler flecks. Small juveniles have small dark spots and faint saddle-like blotches; larger juveniles have darker saddles only. Up to 1 m long head to tail tip.

Biology

Draughtboard Sharks are active at night, and remain relatively motionless on the seafloor during the day. Females lay cream-coloured egg cases that are covered in ridges and have tendrils that attach to seaweed. When disturbed or threatened, these sharks increase their size by inflating their stomachs with air or water in an attempt to avoid predation.

Distribution

Southern Australia.

Habitat

Coastal waters, to depth of 60 m.

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