Carpet Shark
Pekapeka
Cephaloscyllium isabella formerly Cephaloscyllium isabellumAlso known as Draughtsboard shark, New Zealand carpet shark, Carpetshark
Carpet shark is a stocky, golden-brown catshark with dark saddles and blotches, a broad, flat head and two dorsal fins set far back on the body. It is found only in New Zealand and is common on reefs and nearby sand. When caught it often swells its belly with water or air.
How to identify carpet shark
A thickset catshark, golden-brown above with dark brown to black saddles and blotches on the back and sides, and white or cream below. The head is broad, flat and shovel-shaped, and the eyes are slit-like.
Both dorsal fins sit well back on the body, behind the middle. The skin is very prickly. Carpet sharks can swallow water or air to swell up, so a landed fish often has a fat, inflated belly.
Often confused with
- Banded carpet shark
A rare northern species (Cephaloscyllium cf. variegatum) known from a handful of fish off northern New Zealand. It has dark saddle marks on the head and body rather than blotches.
- Dawson's catshark
A small deepwater catshark (to about 420 mm) found at 250–800 m. It lacks the dark blotches on the body and fins.
Where it lives in New Zealand
Carpet shark live only in New Zealand, from Cape Reinga to the Snares Islands and out to the Chatham Rise and Chatham Islands. They are common on the continental shelf, on both soft seabed and rocky reef, from a few metres down to about 500 m.
By day they shelter in crevices and caves on rocky reefs, and they may move out onto nearby sand at night. Adults tend to keep to groups of the same sex.
Good to know
Carpet sharks lay eggs, two large leathery egg cases at a time, and egg-laying happens year-round. In an aquarium the eggs took 12–14 months to hatch, and the young are about 160–170 mm long at hatching.
Males mature at about 600 mm and females at about 760 mm, at 5–9 years old. Age estimates are uncertain, but they suggest males live 5–10 years and females 10–16 years.
Carpet shark is not in the Quota Management System. Fisheries research for the Ministry for Primary Industries lists it among the higher-risk non-QMS sharks, and it is taken as bycatch by commercial fishing vessels.
Questions
What is a carpet shark?
A catshark found only in New Zealand, also called the draughtsboard shark. It is golden-brown with dark saddles and blotches, has a broad, flat head and grows to about 1 m. It lives on reefs and nearby sand from Cape Reinga to the Snares Islands.
Why does a carpet shark puff up?
Carpet sharks can swallow water or air to swell their bellies, so a landed fish often comes up looking fat and inflated.
Are carpet sharks dangerous?
No. FishBase lists the species as harmless to people. The skin is very prickly, though, so handle it with care.
Do carpet sharks lay eggs?
Yes. They lay two large, leathery egg cases at a time, all year round. The eggs take about a year to hatch, and the pups are about 16 cm long.
