Overview

Collared carpetsharks are small benthic sharks that rely on pattern and stillness more than speed. Their entry in PocketShark should feel like a reef-floor or shelf-floor profile: subtle, local, and easy to overlook. The family consists of small patterned carpet sharks, often with collar-like markings, saddles, or other disruptive designs that blend into the bottom. Collared carpetsharks are centered in Australia and nearby Indo-Pacific waters, with several species occupying relatively small regional ranges.

They live on the bottom of reefs, sponge grounds, rocky shelves, and upper slope habitats, depending on species.

Added from the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS).

Why it matters: Several species are so well camouflaged that they are easier to find by movement than by shape.

Common nameTaiwan saddled carpet shark
Scientific nameCirrhoscyllium formosanum
FamilyParascylliidae
OrderOrectolobiformes
Max length0.4 m
Depth range0 to 0 meters
RegionFAO fishing area 61, Taiwanese EEZ
DietData not available in this offline release.
HabitatMarine waters (habitat data not available locally).
Why it stands outFamily: Parascylliidae

What this shark is

The family consists of small patterned carpet sharks, often with collar-like markings, saddles, or other disruptive designs that blend into the bottom.

Where it lives

Collared carpetsharks are centered in Australia and nearby Indo-Pacific waters, with several species occupying relatively small regional ranges.

They live on the bottom of reefs, sponge grounds, rocky shelves, and upper slope habitats, depending on species.

How it differs from similar sharks

Family: Parascylliidae

Compare it against barbelthroat carpet shark, saddled carpet shark, and Arabian bamboo shark.

Why it is notable

They have little direct interaction with people outside trawl or survey catches and occasional diver sightings.

Species-level taxonomy was verified from Sharkipedia's current species list and taxonomy workbook. In this pass, the narrative fields are cautious family-level placeholders synthesized from broad shark references, chiefly the FAO Sharks of the World catalogue, because a stronger multi-source species-level synthesis was not assembled here without risking invented detail. Replace this with a direct species-level synthesis before publication in the app.

Related shark pages

These links are meant to help readers continue through related species, not force extra clicks.