#2067 · 🦈 sharks & rays
Puffadder Shyshark
Haploblepharus edwardsii
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © Georgina Jones · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2. © Georgina Jones · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 3. © dozylocal · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 4. © Georgina Jones · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 5. © Georgina Jones · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 6. Western Cape, ZA:© Robin Fokker · CC BY 4.0
- 7. Western Cape, ZA:© Carl du Preez · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 8. Western Cape, ZA:© Callum Evans · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 9. Western Cape, ZA:© Jeran C. · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 10. Western Cape, ZA:© Luke Goddard · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
The puffadder shyshark ( Haploblepharus edwardsii ) is a species of catshark, belonging to the family Scyliorhinidae, endemic to the temperate waters off the coast of South Africa. This common shark is found on or near the bottom in sandy or rocky habitats, from the intertidal zone to a depth of 130 m (430 ft). Typically reaching 60 cm (24 in) in length, the puffadder shyshark has a slender, flattened body and head. It is strikingly patterned with a series of dark-edged,...
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
- 1,027 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named by Heinrich Rudolf Schinz in 1822 (204 years ago).
- Listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
fact sheet
- English
- Puffadder Shyshark
- scientific name
- Haploblepharus edwardsii
- class
- Chondrichthyes
- order
- Carcharhiniformes
- family
- Pentanchidae
- IUCN Red List
- EN · endangered
- sightings in NL
- 0
- sightings worldwide
- 1,027
- GBIF records in NL
- 0
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1822 by Heinrich Rudolf Schinz
IUCN in Dutch: bedreigd. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 102101, Wikidata Q612558, GBIF 2418609, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.