Hemiscyllium freycineti
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The Indonesian speckled carpetshark, Hemiscyllium freycineti, is a species of bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae. It is found in the shallow ocean around the Raja Ampat Islands in West Papua, Indonesia, but was formerly believed to be more widespread. This was due to confusion with H. michaeli, a species described from eastern Papua New Guinea in 2010. Compared to that species, the spots on H. freycineti are smaller, more rounded or slightly elongated in shape (versus relatively large, edged and more leopard-like in H. michaeli), and tend to darken at regular intervals forming 8-9 vertical bars on the body and tail. Furthermore, the large black spot behind the pectoral fin is more clearly defined in H. michaeli than in H. freycineti. Confusingly, some books with illustrations and photos labelled as H. freycineti actually show H. michaeli.
H. freycineti reaches a length is up to 46 centimetres (18 in). It is nocturnal, hiding in reef crevices during the day. The shark is named in honor of French navigator Louis de Freycinet (1779-1841), who collected the type specimen.
List of sharks Carpet shark - 1824-1825 Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report an Indonesian Speckled Carpetshark sighting in Raja Ampat on a given day, based on 109 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 12 sharks and rays we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, April–June and November
In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report an Indonesian Speckled Carpetshark in Raja Ampat on a given day, against about 20% in August, the lowest month.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Indonesian Speckled Carpetshark sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Only Raja Ampat, in our data
Raja Ampat is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Indonesian Speckled Carpetshark sightings: about 80% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Indonesian Speckled Carpetshark is recorded against all the sharks and rays logged in Raja Ampat (109 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.
