Puffadder Shyshark

About the Puffadder Shyshark

The Pufferadder Shyshark, also known as happy Eddie, is a commonly mistaken shark that is endemic to South Africa in the southeast Atlantic Ocean and the western Indian Ocean at depths from one to 130 m (427 ft).

Biology and Behaviour

Puffadder shysharks are long and slender sharks that prefer the colder waters off the coast of South Africa at the bottom of the seafloor in sandy or rocky habitats.

They are sandy brown with seven reddish-brown saddles outlined in black, and numerous small, dark brown and white spots between saddles with an off-white underside. They have a narrow rounded snout and oval cat-eyes that have a nictitating membrane. Their five pairs of gill slits are near to the upper surface of their body, and their dorsal, pelvic and anal fins are similar in size. They have about 26-30 tooth rows in their upper jaw and 27-33 tooth rows in their lower jaw.

Just like the dark shyshark, puffadders will curl into a circle with its tail covering its eyes when threatened.   

They mainly feed on bony fish, crustaceans and cephalopods.

Reproduction and Lifespan

Puffadder shysharks are oviparous and females lay one or two eggs at a time. Young shysharks hatch after three months and are about 9 cm long at birth. They mature between 35 to 55 cm (13.8 to 21.7 in) long, and grow to a maximum of 60 cm (23.6 in) long.

Conservation and Tourism

There are no conservation methods currently in place for this species.

Recreational anglers in South Africa are restricted to one shark per species per day (maximum of 10 individuals per day) (da Silva et al. 2015), although enforcement is an ongoing issue. Further research is needed on population size and trends, and life history, and catch rates should be monitored.

The Happy Eddie is bycatch in a range of fisheries including beach seine, gillnet, trawl, recreational and commercial line, rock lobster, and demersal shark longline. Trend analyses of research trawl data in South African commercially fished areas and of angler surveys in the De Hoop Marine Protected Area, estimated population reductions of 88–97% over three generation lengths (60 years), with the highest probability of >80% reduction over three generation lengths. The reduction in research trawls is partly driven by a steep decline in catches during the early 1990s when fishing pressure in South Africa was substantially higher. Climate change likely contributed to a range shift away from the research trawl grounds that may account for some of the estimated population reduction but that also likely represents a loss of habitat for the Happy Eddie. Balancing these factors, it is suspected that the Happy Eddie has undergone a population reduction of 50–79% over the past three generation lengths (60 years), and it is assessed as Endangered A2bcd. The utilization of the Happy Eddie is unknown.

Do you have images or videos of Puffadder Shysharks?
Submit them to [email protected].

Puffadder Shyshark Gallery