Gummy shark (Mustelus antarcticus)

Scientific name: Mustelus antarcticus G?nther, 1870

The Gummy shark (Mustelus antarcticus) is a marine fish of the family Triakidae.

Biology

An inshore and offshore shark found from intertidal waters to a depth of 350 m. Feeds on crustaceans, marine worms and small fishes, also cephalopods. Forms schools by sex and size. Ovoviviparous. Newborn and juvenile gummy sharks are found in many areas across southern Australia, but no well-defined nursery areas have been identified. These sharks are capable of long migrations, females traveling longer distances than males. Utilized fresh for human consumption. Maximum length data for female species is taken from.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Mustelus antarcticus
Family: Triakidae (Houndsharks)
Order: Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks)
Class: Elasmobranchii (Sharks and Rays)
Maximum length: 157
Depth range: 350 m (1148 ft)
Environment: Marine; demersal; oceanodromous; depth range ? - 350 m, usually ? - 80 m
Climate: Temperate
Distribution: Eastern Indian Ocean: endemic to southern Australia, from Western Australia through Bass Strait to Tasmania and northern New South Wales. Possibly extends northward to southern Queensland and Shark Bay in Western Australia. Confused with another undescribed species whose southern distribution extends to Dampier (20?40'S) (possibly Shark Bay) in the west and Bowen (20?S) (possibly Coffs Harbor) in the east. There is a single stock of gummy sharks in the area, however, regional stock differences might still exist.
Conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience: Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (K=0.09-0.30; tm=4-6.9; tmax=16; Fec=2)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026