Blind shark

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iBlind shark
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Orectolobiformes
Family: Brachaeluridae
Genus: Brachaelurus
Species: B. waddi
Binomial name
Brachaelurus waddi
(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

The blind shark, Brachaelurus waddi, is a blind shark in the family Brachaeluridae, the only member of the genus Brachaelurus, found in the subtropical southwest Pacific Ocean off Queensland and New South Wales, between latitudes 8° S to 33° S. It reaches a length of 1.22 m.

The blind shark has its caudal fin with its upper lobe at a low angle above the body axis, with a strong terminal lobe and subterminal notch but no ventral lobe. It is usually found close inshore in tide pools (barely deep enough to keep it covered) and at the surf line, but sometimes deeper. It prefers rocky shoreline areas and coral reefs, and feeds on small reef invertebrates and small fishes. It thrives in an aquarium and is capable of living out of water for an extended period.

Reproduction is ovoviviparous.

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