The brownbanded bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium punctatum), is a bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae that can be found in the Indo-West Pacific from Japan to northern Australia, between latitudes 34° N and 26° S. It is regularly bred in public aquaria, and is arguably one of the sharks most suited to captivity due to its docile disposition, sedentary nature, and relatively small size. In public aquariums, these fish can live up to 25 years.
The main protagonist of the 2012 Malaysian animated feature film SeeFood is a talking, sentient young brownbanded bamboo shark named Pup, whose ability to breathe on land plays a major role in the plot.
These sharks live around coral reefs and tide pools. It resides at depths down to 85 metres (279 ft).
These sharks are carnivores that should be fed 2-3 times a week; some of their diet includes fresh shrimp, scallop, squid, and marine fishes. In order to prevent goiter disease, they should take iodine supplements. Two things to be aware of when feeding the shark: one is to make sure that the meals are bite sized or else it will throw it back up and the second is sometimes juveniles are difficult to get to eat so adding a flavor enhances their interest.
It reproduces oviparously.
Its minimum population doubling is in the 4.5–14 years range. The major threats to these sharks are the loss of their habitat, pollution, and capture (both for aquarium trade as well as food).
The minimum size of the tank that can carry an adult cat shark is about 180 gallons. Because these sharks are nocturnal, they will need some type of shaded area within the tank where the shark could hide. Although these sharks do not swim around too much, it is highly suggested that the items within the tank should be stable; brownbanded bamboo sharks are very strong and will knock down anything that is not stable inside the tank. Also this shark should not be placed with triggers and puffers; they will nip at the shark's fins, nor should they be placed with aggressive feeders.
