Fun Blind Shark Facts For Kids

The blind shark, Brachaelurus waddi, as they are scientifically called, belongs to the family Brachaeluridae. It is endemic to the eastern coast of Australia.

The range and distribution of these sharks include Queensland and New South Wales. This species is named so because it has a habit of closing its eyes when it is out of water.

The types of habitat this shark inhabit includes shallow water and tidal pools, caves, and coral reef. This shark is generally brown in color and has small eyes.

The body is stout and they have a flat head with a blunt snout.

The pectoral fin is known to be wide and long and the dorsal fins are almost equal in size. Anal fins are very small and the size is known to be half that of the dorsal fin.

Young ones are known to have dark bands on the body which fade as they grow old. These are nocturnal creatures and feed on invertebrates like crabs, squids, and other bony fish by moving or swimming around or near the reefs and seagrass beds at night.

The reproduction system of the shark is known to be aplacental viviparous and seven to eight pups are born in summer. This shark is one of the few sharks that can be petted or kept in private aquariums as they are relatively smaller in size than other ones.

If the uniqueness of blind sharks makes you interested to read more about similar species such as the Caribbean reef shark and the zebra shark, too.

Blind Shark Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a blind shark?

It is a type of shark, one of the marine creatures.

What class of animal does a blind shark belong to?

It belongs to the class of Chondrichthyes.

How many blind sharks are there in the world?

There has been no exact number of these sharks recorded or estimated.

Where does a blind shark live?

This species of fish is limited to the sea of the eastern coast of Australia and the range and distribution include the sea and other water bodies of southern Queensland and New South Wales.

What is a blind shark's habitat?

These sharks inhabit shallow waters and can be commonly seen at night when there are high energy surges in shallow waters; they swim around the rocky terrains, coastal reef, and sea grassland in search of food. It also inhabits tidal pools and continental shelves and sometimes caves. Juveniles are found in high-energy zones of the surge.

Who do blind sharks live with?

Some shark species are known to live alone, while some are in groups. However, not much is known about this shark.

How long does a blind shark live?

It has been recorded that these sharks have lived for about 20 years in captivity.

How do they reproduce?

Not enough information is available about the reproduction system. However, the reproduction system of this marine creature is known to be aplacental viviparous and is known to possibly have an annual or regular cycle.

Seven to eight pups are given birth to by the female in the summer. Sexual maturity is reached at the length of around 24 in (61 cm) in males and 26 in (66 cm) females.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the marine creature is Least Concern.

Blind Shark Fun Facts

What do blind sharks look like?

A blind shark (Brachaelurus waddi) has a heavy body and a broad, wide, or flat head. The stout of these sharks is blunt.

At the tip of this snout is where the nostrils are located. The eyes are small and oval-shaped and eyes are located high on the head and are known to have ridges underneath and the rims are raised.

Barbels are known to be long and narrow. These sharks have 32-34 teeth in the upper row or jaw and 21-29 teeth in the lower part.

The gill slits of this shark are small and there are around five pairs of the gill slits.

The pectoral fin is known to be wide and long and the dorsal fins are almost equal in size. The anal fin is very small and the size is known to be half that of the dorsal fin.

The color of this species is light or dark brown on the upper parts, lighter on the underparts, and has white spots or speckles. The young ones are known to have darkish-colored bands on the body and the tail part and these darkish bands are known to fade with age.

How cute are they?

This species is not considered cute.

How do they communicate?

Not much information is available regarding the communication of this species.

How big is a blind shark?

This species is known to be smaller than the Greenland shark and the great white shark. Their length ranges from 35-47 in (89-119 cm).

How fast can a blind shark swim?

The exact speed of this species is unknown, but they are not very fast swimmers.

How much does a blind shark weigh?

The weight of this marine creature is unknown.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for males and females of this species.

What would you call a baby blind shark?

A baby of this shark is referred to as a pup.

What do they eat?

These animals feed on small and bony fish and small invertebrates. In captivity, they can be fed marine-like food that includes fish, crabs, squids, shrimps, and mollusks.

Are they poisonous?

These sharks are not considered poisonous. Sleeper sharks are considered dangerous only because of their size, but very little human interaction has been recorded with this species, thus, not much information is available is about this species of shark.

Would they make a good pet?

This species can be kept in captivity and even as pets as these sharks are relatively small in size and require home aquariums sized around 360-1000 gal (1363-3785 l). There must be a good amount of water volume and a moderate level of water currents and sand or sandy substrates.

There should be enough room for these sharks. All the elements should be taken care of while keeping these sharks as pets.

Did you know...

Due to the behavior of closing its eyes while on the surface, the Brachaelurus waddi is known as a blind shark. These sharks are known to have sedentary habits.

Other species, namely the Greenland shark is known to be prone to blindness as a parasite name copepods attach themselves to the cornea of these sharks.

It is believed that this shark is harmless to humans. However, it can bite if provoked and there have been cases recorded where this shark has bit divers and holds on to divers suits; it was only possible to get rid of them by prying their mouth or jaws open.

According to science reports, the shark is neither blind nor deaf always. While there are some cases of blind sharks recorded, sharks do not have ears but possess well-developed hearing senses.

These sharks are nocturnal and it swims over or near reefs and meadows and beds of seagrass to feed on invertebrates, sea anemones, cephalopods.

This shark is known to eat or feed on these prey through suction.

There has been a known parasite of these sharks recorded, but it is an undescribed or unrecorded species of tapeworm that belongs to the genus Carpobothrium.

This shark is not considered commercially important as its flesh contains a very strong ammonia sort of taste that cannot be easily removed.

Science does highlight the existence of a blind shark, according to records.

Sharks are known to be colorblind as their eyes are known to function or are exposed to a broad range or level of light. They are known to have only one long-wavelength sensitive cone kind of retina and this is the reason why these creatures are known to be possibly prone to blindness.

No, science does not believe in the existence of a blind cave shark. While some sharks are known to live in caves and others are recorded to be prone to blindness or colorblindness, yet there is no record of the existence of a blind cave shark. It is said to be nothing but a fictional character.

Do humans eat them?

A shark is a legal dietary food item for humans, but there is no documentation of whether or not humans consume blind sharks or not. Although, it is probably unlikely.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these thresher shark facts and horn shark facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable blind shark coloring pages.