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Brachaeluridae
 
 
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The Brachaeluridae, or blind sharks, are a small family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 of sharks in the order Orectolobiformes. There are only two species of blind shark, both of which are native to shallow coastal waters up to depth, off the eastern coast of Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
.

They are distinguished by the presence of long barbels
Barbel (anatomy)

A barbel on a fish is a slender, whiskerlike tactile organ near the mouth. Fish that have barbels include the catfish, the carp, the goatfish, sturgeon, and some species of shark....
, large spiracle
Spiracle

Spiracles are small openings on the surface of some animals that usually lead to respiratory systems.In elasmobranchs , a spiracle is found behind each eye, and is often used to pump water through the gills while the animal is at rest ....
s, and groove around the nostrils. They have two dorsal fin
Dorsal fin

A wikt:dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of some fish, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, as well as the ichthyosaurs. Its main purpose is to stabilize the animal against rolling and assist in sudden turns....
s, placed close together on the back, and a relatively short tail.






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The Brachaeluridae, or blind sharks, are a small family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 of sharks in the order Orectolobiformes. There are only two species of blind shark, both of which are native to shallow coastal waters up to depth, off the eastern coast of Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
.

They are distinguished by the presence of long barbels
Barbel (anatomy)

A barbel on a fish is a slender, whiskerlike tactile organ near the mouth. Fish that have barbels include the catfish, the carp, the goatfish, sturgeon, and some species of shark....
, large spiracle
Spiracle

Spiracles are small openings on the surface of some animals that usually lead to respiratory systems.In elasmobranchs , a spiracle is found behind each eye, and is often used to pump water through the gills while the animal is at rest ....
s, and groove around the nostrils. They have two dorsal fin
Dorsal fin

A wikt:dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of some fish, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, as well as the ichthyosaurs. Its main purpose is to stabilize the animal against rolling and assist in sudden turns....
s, placed close together on the back, and a relatively short tail. Despite the name, blind sharks do have eyes.

Blind sharks feed on small fish, cuttlefish
Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish are Marine animals of the order Sepiida belonging to the Cephalopoda class . Despite their common name, cuttlefish are not fish but molluscs....
, sea anemone
Sea anemone

Sea anemones are a group of water dwelling, predation animals of the order Actiniaria; they are named after the anemone, a terrestrial flower....
s, and crustacean
Crustacean

Crustaceans are a large group of arthropods, comprising almost 52,000 described species , and are usually treated as a subphylum . They include various familiar animals, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles....
s. The female retains the eggs in her body until they hatch (ovoviviparity
Ovoviviparity

Ovoviviparous, also known as oviviparous, animals develop within Egg s that remain within the mother's body up until they hatch or are about to hatch....
), during which time the embryos feed solely on the egg yolk.

Genera and species

There are just two species of blind shark, each in their own genus:

  • Genus Brachaelurus
    • Blind shark
      Blind shark

      The blind shark, Brachaelurus waddi, is one of two species in the family Brachaeluridae, and the only member of the genus Brachaelurus....
      , Brachaelurus waddi (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
  • Genus Heteroscyllium
    • Bluegray carpetshark
      Bluegray carpetshark

      The bluegrey carpetshark, or Coclough's shark is a blind shark in the family Brachaeluridae, the only member of the genus Heteroscyllium, found in the subtropical southwest Pacific Ocean endemic to Australia, between latitudes 12th parallel south to 29th parallel south....
      , Heteroscyllium colcloughi (Ogilby, 1908)


In aquaria

Both the blind shark and the Coclough's shark have been succesfully kept in home aquaria. In captivity they can live to be 20 years old. They are well suited to this sort of personal shark husbandry because of their small adult sizes and "predilection for tight spaces." However, one drawback is that they are inactive during the daytime and will spend most of the daylight hours hiding in artificial caves provided by the aquarist. Brachaelurids have been succesfully reared in home aquaria on diets of fresh and frozen seafood fed 3 times weekly. Waters at 64-76 degrees F have been found to be most conducive to the health of these fish. Brachaelurids have been known to consume any of their tankmates that can be succesfully swallowed.Blind sharks have been induced to breed in captivity. The Sydney Aquarium has succesfully maintained an entire breeding colony of blind sharks.

See also

  • List of sharks
    List of sharks

    Shark classificationSharks belong to the superorder Selachimorpha in the subclass Elasmobranchii in the class Chondrichthyes. It is a fish. The Elasmobranchii also include batoidea and skate s; the Chondrichthyes also include Chimaeras....