Australian swellshark
The Australian swellshark ("Cephaloscyllium laticeps") or draughtboard shark, is a species of catshark, and part of the family Scyliorhinidae, endemic to southern Australia. This bottom-dwelling species can be found on the continental shelf down to a depth of . Usually measuring long, it is a stout-bodied, broad-headed shark with a short tail and a first dorsal fin much larger than the second. It can be identified by its variegated dorsal coloration of brown or grey patches and numerous spots.

Australian swellsharks are sedentary and mainly nocturnal, with most individuals remaining within the same local area throughout the year. It feeds on small crustaceans, cephalopods, and fish. When threatened, it responds by rapidly taking in water or air to inflate its body, hence the name "swellshark". This shark is oviparous and females lay pairs of distinctively ridged egg capsules at 20- to 30-day intervals. The eggs hatch after 11–12 months. Harmless and of little commercial interest, many Australian swellsharks are caught incidentally in gillnets and bottom trawls but usually survive to be released because of their extreme hardiness. As a result, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed this species as of Least Concern.
Q7432
species
Concept
Q17149
catshark
Concept
Q35409
family
Concept
Q17149
Scyliorhinidae
Concept
Q123452
endemic
Concept
Q408
Australia
LOC
Q686881
bottom-dwelling
Concept
Q134851
continental shelf
Concept
Q1568355
dorsal fin
Concept
Q309179
nocturnal
Concept
Q25364
crustacean
Concept
Q128257
cephalopod
Concept
Q152
fish
Concept
Q212306
oviparous
Concept
Q1131200
egg capsules
UNK
Q11202642
commercial interest
Concept
Q814689
caught incidentally
Concept
Q1606828
gillnet
Concept
Q811598
bottom trawl
Concept
Q48268
International Union for Conservation of Nature
ORG
Q211005
Least Concern
Concept
Q2719434
Australian swellshark
Concept
Q2719434
Australian swellshark
Concept
Q2719434
Australian swellshark
Concept
+20^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
20
NUMBER
+30^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
30
NUMBER
+11^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
11
NUMBER
+12^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
12
NUMBER
taxon rank
IUCN conservation status
taxon rank
taxon rank