Coral catshark

Coral catshark ( Atelomycterus marmoratus )

The coral catshark ( Atelomycterus marmoratus ) belongs to the order of the ground sharks ( Carcharhiniformes ) and to the family of dogfish ( Scyliorhinidae ).

Occurrence

The nocturnal fish lives in the Arabian Sea, on the coasts of India to the Bay of Bengal, on the coast of Sumatra, in Thailand, the South China Sea and off the coast of Papua New Guinea. Most of the shark keeps on near the coast. Since this type during the day mostly staying in caves and other hiding places, you meet him only at night. Every now and then you meet him in tide pools to search for food.

Food

The dogfish feeds mainly on fish fry, shrimp, other small fish and crabs, but also of snails and mussels and small octopus.

Appearance

By his appearance the Korallenkatzenhai is good to distinguish itself from its peers. It is up to 90 cm long. His head is elongated and resembles that of a snake. Directly behind his eyes there is a spray hole and he has five gills. On his back are two dorsal fins. The tail fins are re-formed in the lower part. The Korallenkatzenhai has a distinct coloration. On brown color are dark -bordered, small, bright spots. The belly is also bright and the fin tips are marked in white on all seams.

Reproduction

The dogfish lay eggs ( oviparous ). The egg case is about 7 cm × 3 cm in size. At birth the young are then about 10 cm long.