Bamboo sharks are small in size, usually less than four feet in length, with slender bodies and long tails. Their tail can sometimes be as long or longer than the entire rest of the shark’s body. Their snouts have feelers called “barbels” underneath that help them find food in their shallow water habitat. These barbels are what earned them one of their common names – the catshark.
Bamboo shark juveniles are often banded in coloration, with thick dark stripes down their body. As they grow older, these bands fade, and different species display different patterning and coloration including spots and large blotches.
There are two genera of bamboo shark, with 16 described species (and one currently not yet described). The genus Chiloscyllium is often referred to as bamboo sharks, while the genus Hemiscyllium are sometimes called epaulette sharks, due to the splotches on the sides of their bodies that resemble the decorative shoulder coverings on military uniforms.
