Cook’s Swellshark

About the Cook’s Swellshark

The Cook’s swellshark is a rare species of catshark found between northern Australia and Indonesian New Guinea. They’re a deepwater species and are found usually at depths of 223-300 m. Like all swellsharks, they have the ability to inflate their bodies to appear larger to potential predators. They They’re brown and have up to 8 dark saddles on its dorsal side.

Like most catsharks, the Cook’s swellshark is a nocturnal bottom-dweller. This species is particularly small and only reaches lengths of up to 30 cm. Little is known about their reproductive biology but they’re suspected to be oviparous.

There is no information on population size or trend, and its IUCN conservation status is currently considered Data Deficient.

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