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Australian Angelshark
Squatina australis Regan, 1906
Above and below: An Australian Angelshark at a depth of 10m, Mystery Bay, south of Narooma, New South Wales, September 2002. View larger image.
The Australian Angelshark has a depressed (glossary) body and large pectoral fins that are not fully joined to the head. It has a blunt snout and nostrils with skin flaps. There are two equal-sized dorsal fins on the tail.
This species is white below and grey to brown above with numerous pale spots. It is usually seen on sandy bottoms where it can be extremely well camouflaged.
The Australian Angelshark grows to 1.52m in length.
It s not considered dangerous to people, but should not be handled. Its bite can cause serious wounds.
In Australia it is known from marine coastal waters of New South Wales, around the south of the country including Tasmania, and north to south-western Western Australia.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
View a low resolution movie clip (69k) of this species. Go to the movies page for high and low resolution versions.
Further reading
- Edgar, G.J. 1997. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Reed Books. Pp. 544.
- Glover, C.J.M. in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Last, P.R. & J.D. Stevens. 1994 Sharks and Rays of Australia. CSIRO. Pp. 513.
