Heterodontus portusjacksoni
In 3 days >90%
The Port Jackson shark (Heterodontus portusjacksoni) is a nocturnal, oviparous (egg laying) type of bullhead shark of the family Heterodontidae, found in the coastal region of southern Australia, including the waters off Port Jackson. It has a large, blunt head with prominent forehead ridges and dark brown harness-like markings on a lighter grey-brown body, and can grow up to 1.65 metres (5.5 ft) long. They are the largest in the genus Heterodontus.
The Port Jackson shark is a migratory species, traveling south in the summer and returning north to breed in the winter. It feeds on hard-shelled mollusks, crustaceans, sea urchins, and fish. Identification of this species is very easy due to the pattern of harness-like markings that cross the eyes, run along the back to the first dorsal fin, then cross the side of the body, in addition to the spine in front of both dorsal fins.
The Port Jackson shark is endemic to the temperate waters around southern Australia and can be found in an area stretching from southern Queensland, south to Tasmania, and west to the central coast of Western Australia. Dubious reports exist of catchings as far north as Western Australia...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phillip Island Nature Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
No species of the same family or order lives in Phillip Island Nature Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other sharks & rays.
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Port Jackson Shark sighting in Phillip Island Nature Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–May and October–January
In those months about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Port Jackson Shark in Phillip Island Nature Park on a given day, against about 70% in February, the lowest month. June to September have too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Port Jackson Shark sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Phillip Island Nature Park, in our data
Phillip Island Nature Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Port Jackson Shark sightings: about 70% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Port Jackson Shark is recorded against all the sharks and rays logged in Phillip Island Nature Park (20 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
