bamboo sharks - Hemiscylliidae

Family Hemiscylliidae - Bamboo sharks

Order	:	Orectolobiformes
Class	:	Elasmobranchii
No. in FishBase	:	Genera : 2 | Species : 17 Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes
Environment	:	Fresh : No | Brackish : No | Marine : Yes
Division	:	Marine
Aquarium	:	none
First Fossil Record	:	upper   Jurassic	Ref..   Berg, L.S. 1958

There are around 12 species in this family of small sharks. Longtail carpet sharks and bamboo sharks are usually less than four feet in length. They are found in shallow tropical waters in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. 

They have long, cylindrical bodies with tails that are longer than their bodies. They have barbels on their snouts. 

Many of the sharks in this family have spotted and banded markings on their bodies. They feed on the ocean floor and eat small fish and crustaceans. 

Unfortunately these are not reef friendly as they will eat any crustacean in the aquarium. It stays relatively small, but requires at least a 180 gallon or larger aquarium as an adult. 

Recently a captive Bamboo shark recently set a record for sperm storage of 45 months after laying a fertilised egg nearly three and a half years after it could have mated for more information visit BBC Earth.

Image courtesy of Timothy Wong