carpet shark
carpet shark, (order Orectolobiformes), any of about 40 species of sharks possessing mottled patterns on the body that are evocative of carpet designs. They are found in all oceans but are concentrated in the Indo-Pacific and Australian regions. Many species are large, but they are not considered dangerous to humans, although they may protect themselves if harmed. Some species of carpet sharks bear live young, while others lay eggs. Many species of carpet sharks are bottom-feeders, primarily eating mollusks and crustaceans.
Taxonomy and notable characteristics
The order Orectolobiformes contains seven families of sharks. The largest of these families, Hemiscylliidae, contains the bamboo sharks and epaulette sharks and comprises 14 species within two genera, Chiloscyllium and Hemiscyllium. The two smallest carpet shark families are composed of just one species each: Stegostomatidae contains the zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum), and Rhincodontidae contains the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the world’s largest living fish. The other families in the order are Brachaeluridae, the blind sharks; Parascyllidae, the collared carpet sharks; Orectolobidae, the wobbegongs; and Ginglymostomatidae, the nurse sharks. One species of nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum, reaches a length of more than 4 metres (13 feet).
Several carpet sharks are notable for their striking characteristics. The whale shark is not only the largest shark but also by far the largest of all fish, averaging about 12 metres (39 feet) in length. Among the most beautifully coloured and strikingly marked sharks in the order are the necklace carpet shark (Parascyllium variolatum), the ornate wobbegong (Orectolobus ornatus), and the zebra shark. The tasseled wobbegong (Eucrossorhinus dasypogon) has an especially unusual appearance, with fringed lobes of skin on its head and a similar beard of lobes on its chin.
Barbels (tactile sensory organs) are common features of carpet sharks. They hang near the nostrils of whale sharks and nurse sharks and are found on the throat of the aptly named barbelthroat carpet shark (Cirrhoscyllium expolitum).
Conservation status
Many carpet sharks are classified as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), largely because of unintentional harvesting (bycatch) by the commercial fishing industry and intentional harvesting by local and recreational anglers. Species most at risk include the blue-gray carpet shark (Colclough’s shark, Heteroscyllium colcloughi [sometimes classified as Brachaelurus colcloughi]), which is listed as vulnerable; the zebra shark, whale shark, Pacific nurse shark (Ginglymostoma unami), and Indonesian bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium hasselti), which are classified as endangered species; and the shorttail nurse shark (Pseudoginglymostoma brevicaudatum), which is considered critically endangered.