Sharks and Rays of Shark Bay
At least 28 shark species and 6 ray species call Shark Bay home. You don’t have to go far to see them – in fact, you don’t even need to go boating! From lookouts at
Eagle Bluff and
Skipjack Point you can almost always spot sharks feeding, resting and cruising about, especially in the summer months.
Don’t be scared!
Shark Bay may seem like a dangerous place, but almost all of our local sharks and rays are completely harmless to humans. There has not been a shark attack for more than 100 years, and ray stings are uncommon. You can
avoid injuries from sting ray spines by taking a few simple precautions.
Sharks
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A tiger shark in the shallows of Shark Bay. Although common in the
bay they pose little threat to humans - © Janet Mann |
Here is a list of some of the most common species in Shark Bay. Click on the links to find out more.
Tiger shark (
Galeocerdo cuvier)
Western wobbegong (
Orectolobus hutchinsi)
Spotted wobbegong (
Orectolobus maculatus)
Banded wobbegong (
Orectolobus halei)
Grey carpet shark (
Chiloscyllium punctatum)
Epaulette shark (
Hemiscyllium ocellatum)
Zebra shark (
Stegastoma fasciatum)
Whale shark (
Rhincodon typus)
Grey nurse shark (
Carcharias taurus)
White shark (
Carcharodon carcharias)
Shortfin mako (
Isurus oxyrinchus)
Whiskery shark (
Furgaleus macki)
Pencil shark (
Hypogaleus hyugaensis)
Weasel shark (
Hemigaleus microstoma)
Fossil shark (
Hemipristis elongata)
Spinner shark (
Carcharhinus brevipinna)
Nervous shark (
Carcharhinus cautus)
Whitecheek shark (
Carcharhinus dussumieri)
Bull shark (
Carcharhinus leucas)
Blacktip reef shark (
Carcharhinus melanopterus)
Dusky shark (
Carcharhinus obscurus)
Sandbar shark (
Carcharhinus plumbeus)
Lemon shark (
Negaprion acutidens)
Milk shark (
Rhizoprionodon acutus)
Whitetip reef shark (
Triaenodon obesus)
Scalloped hammerhead (
Sphyrna zygaena)
Great hammerhead (
Sphyrna mokarran)
Smooth hammerhead (
Sphyrna zygaena)
Still more species are likely to occur in Shark Bay, including:
Creek whaler (
Carcharhinus fitzroyensis)
Tawny nurse shark (Nebrius ferrugineus)
Common blacktip shark (
Carcharhinus limbatus)
Grey reef shark (
Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos)
Pigeye shark (
Carcharhinus amboinensis)
Silvertip shark (
Carcharhinus albimarginatus)
Rays
Rays are closely related to sharks. In Shark Bay you can often see these species:
Manta ray (
Manta birostris)
Spotted eagle ray (
Aetobatus narinari)
Western round skate (
Irolita sp.)
Blue-spotted stingray (
Dasyatis kuhlii)
Black stingray (
Dasyatis thetidis)
Cowtail stingray (
Pastinachus sephen)
For more information about Western Australian wildlife check out the
WA Museum Fauna Base