Mack's Whiskery Shark

Furgaleus macki

Sharks and rays
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth0–141 m
Water temperature16–26 °C
Best monthsJuly
How commonRare

About this species

The whiskery shark is a species of houndshark in the family Triakidae, and the only member of its genus. This common shark inhabits the Australian continental shelf from Western Australia to the Bass Strait, to a depth of 220 m (720 ft). It is demersal in habits and prefers rocky and vegetated habitats. Stout-bodied and almost "humpbacked" in form, the whiskery shark can be distinguished from all other members of its family by the presence of long nasal barbels. Its two moderately large dorsal fins are roughly equal in size. It is brownish gray above and lighter below, with a pattern of darker saddles and blotches in younger sharks. This species reaches 1.6 m (5.2 ft) in length.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Whiskery shark”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 5 records
February: 5 records
March: 2 records
April: 14 records
May: 30 records
June: 14 records
July: 135 records
August: 3 records
September: 1 records
October: 3 records
November: 15 records
December: 4 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 0–141 m · Deepest record: 600 m

0–10 m: 40 records
10–20 m: 0 records
20–30 m: 0 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 1 records
60–70 m: 1 records
70–80 m: 1 records
80–90 m: 1 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 0 records
110+ m: 6 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 16–26 °C

14–16 °C: 1 records
16–18 °C: 6 records
18–20 °C: 33 records
20–22 °C: 155 records
22–24 °C: 1 records
24–26 °C: 2 records

Names and classification

English: Mack's Whiskery Shark, Reef Shark, Shakey Shark, Snakey, Sundowner, Whiskery Shark, whiskery skark

Names in 2 more languages

German: Schnauzbarthai
Japanese: ヒゲドチザメ

Other scientific names: Fur macki, Fur ventralis, Furgaleus ventralis

Similar species

Sweet william
Galeorhinus galeus
Australian Smooth Hound
Mustelus antarcticus
Gummy Shark
Mustelus lenticulatus
Smooth hound
Mustelus mustelus
Sicklefin Hound Shark
Hemitriakis falcata
Japanese topeshark
Hemitriakis japanica

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
202 open-data records from 1906 to 2018.
Species data updated November 2, 2026.

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