Coral Catshark

Atelomycterus marmoratus

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Elasmobranchii
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Family: Atelomycteridae
Genus: Atelomycterus
Species: Atelomycterus marmoratus

The coral catshark (Atelomycterus marmoratus) is a small, slender shark rarely longer than 70 cm, with a dark grey to brown body covered in black spots, blotches and scattered white dots. Its two dorsal fins are set far back, and the fin tips are often pale.

It is nocturnal, spending the day wedged in reef crevices and under ledges, and emerging at night to hunt small fish, crustaceans and worms. Its slender, eel-like body lets it move easily through tight spaces in the reef.

In the Philippines coral catsharks live on shallow coral reefs and rocky slopes and are best found on night dives, when they can be seen poking out from holes or swimming slowly over the reef.

Photo: Pierre Pericard, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist