Australian weasel shark
The Australian weasel shark ("Hemigaleus australiensis") is an uncommon species of ground shark in the family Hemigaleidae. It inhabits shallow waters off northern Australia to a depth of ; smaller sharks frequent sand and seagrass habitat and shift to coral reefs as they grow older. A slim, drab species reaching a length of , it has sickle-shaped fins with dark tips on the second dorsal fin and caudal fin upper lobe. Its upper teeth are broad with strong serrations only on the trailing edge. The lateral line along each side is prominent and exhibits a downward curve below the second dorsal fin.

Feeding almost exclusively on octopuses and other cephalopods, the Australian weasel shark mostly hunts near the sea floor. It is viviparous, with the developing embryos nourished through a placental connection and born after a six-month gestation period. This species is productive for a shark, with females bearing litters of 1–19 pups usually twice per year. The Australian weasel shark is caught by trawl and to a lesser extent gillnet and longline fisheries, though not in such numbers that its population is threatened. Thus, it has been listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Q7432
species
Concept
Q48178
ground shark
Concept
Q35409
family
Concept
Q574604
Hemigaleidae
Concept
Q408
Australia
LOC
Q646660
seagrass
Concept
Q52105
habitat
Concept
Q11292
coral reef
Concept
Q1568355
dorsal fin
Concept
Q4162555
caudal fin
MISC
Q280969
lateral line
Concept
Q40152
octopus
Concept
Q128257
cephalopod
Concept
Q468469
sea floor
Concept
Q120446
viviparous
Concept
Q33196
embryo
Concept
Q1212935
placenta
Concept
Q1490716
gestation period
Concept
Q3289687
productive
UNK
Q105729329
trawl
UNK
Q1606828
gillnet
Concept
Q930179
longline
Concept
Q180538
fisheries
Concept
Q211005
Least Concern
Concept
Q48268
International Union for Conservation of Nature
ORG
Q40565
Australian weasel shark
Concept
Q40565
Australian weasel shark
Concept
Q40565
Australian weasel shark
Concept
+1^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
1
NUMBER
+19^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
19
NUMBER
taxon rank
IUCN conservation status
parent taxon
taxon rank