- The Coral Cat Shark was first discovered in 1830 by zoologist Edward Turner Bennett. Its original scientific name was Scyllium marmoratum. The word marmoratus in latin means “marbled”. This species is sometimes confused with the White Spotted Bamboo Shark – which more commonly is referred to as the Marbled Cat Shark. In 1913 Samuel Walton Garman a naturalist/zoologist placed this species in his newly created genus Atelomycterus. Which is where this shark got its current scientific name from – the Atelomycterus marmoratus.
2. They have a protective eye lid that covers their eyes during the day. This lid comes up from the bottom instead of down from the top like ours.
3. The Coral Cat Shark’s body is very slender which allows it to navigate through small spaces in the coral reefs
4. The Coral Cat Shark is oviparous with the female producing only 2 eggs at a time. The pup or baby shark will develop over a period of 4 to 6 months when the shark will exit the egg case.
5. Their current status in the wild according to the IUCN Red List as of April 30th, 2003 is Near Threatened. There is also not currently an action recovery plan in place to help re-populate these species in the wild.
6. They are found in the shallow reefs from the Indo-West Pacific ocean from Pakistan to New Guinea
7. Their leopard-like, spotted pattern provides them camouflage from predators as they navigate through their reef habitat and while they hunt for food.