Author: Bee Smith
Pyjama Shark
Poroderma africanum
This shark looks like it's wearing pyjamas, which is fitting because it loves to take naps!
Key Features & Appearance
The pyjama shark is a species of catshark, and although it’s one of the larger members of the group, growing to just over 1 meter long, it’s still relatively small by shark standards. Their name comes from the bold pattern of 5-7 thick black stripes running along their grey body, which resemble striped pyjamas!
Habitat & Distribution
This species is endemic to the waters off South Africa, in the southeast Atlantic and western Indian Oceans. It occupies shallow water environments, to a maximum depth of 100 meters, and prefers kelp bed and rocky reef habitats. They tend to spend the daytime resting in caves, crevices, or under vegetation - often piled together with other pyjama sharks!
Diet
Whilst they spend their days resting, they become active hunters at night. They’re opportunistic predators, feeding on a wide range of fish and invertebrates. They are known to use a spinning motion, similar to the death roll of crocodiles, to subdue their prey. In fact, they can actively hunt octopuses (which are known to fight back by punching them in the gills) and have been recorded targeting squid aggregations by hiding amongst the egg beds, then attacking as the squids approach to lay more eggs!
Reproduction
They are oviparous, meaning females reproduce by laying eggcases on the seafloor. These dark brown rectangular capsules attach to kelp by their long twisted tendrils, keeping them secure as the baby shark develops. Females can lay two at a time and do so year-round.
Threats
The primary threat they face is fishing. Though not targets of commercial fisheries, as it is prohibited in South Africa, they are often caught as bycatch in commercial and recreational fisheries; this is known to cause a stress response. Moreover, sometimes they are killed instead of being discarded, due to being viewed as pests for damaging gear or stealing catch.
Larger sharks, such as the broadnose sevengill shark, as well as Cape fur seals, are also known to prey on them. When threatened, they defend themselves by curling into a doughnut shape, using their tail to cover their head for protection.
Status
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists this species as “Least Concern”.
Fun Fact
Their ability to hunt octopuses was famously documented in the film “My Octopus Teacher”!
Works Cited
Caracausi, Luca & Da Ros, Zaira & Premici, Alice & Gennari, Enrico & Fanelli, Emanuela. (2024). Trophic Ecology of the Pyjama Shark Poroderma africanum (Gmelin, 1789) Elucidated by Stable Isotopes. Animals. 14. 2559. 10.3390/ani14172559.
Da Silva, C. et al. (2015) ‘The current status and management of South Africa’s Chondrichthyan Fisheries’, African Journal of Marine Science, 37(2), pp. 233–248. doi:10.2989/1814232x.2015.1044471.
Ebert, David & Dando, Marc & Fowler, Sarah. (2021). Sharks of the World: A Complete Guide. 10.2307/j.ctv1574pqp.
Poroderma Africanum (no date) Discover Fishes. Available at: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/poroderma-africanum/ (Accessed: 01 February 2025).
Scarponi, V., Gennari, E. and Hughes, W. (2021) ‘Physiological response to capture stress in endemic Southern African catsharks (familyscyliorhinidae)’, Journal of Fish Biology, 99(1), pp. 186–196. doi:10.1111/jfb.14710.
Smale, M.J., Sauer, W.H. and Hanlon, R.T. (1995) ‘Attempted ambush predation on spawning squidsloligovulgaris reynaudiiby benthic pyjama sharks,porodermaafricanum, off South Africa’, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 75(3), pp. 739–742. doi:10.1017/s002531540003914
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