This common shark inhabits the Australian continental shelf from Western Australia to the Bass Strait, to a depth of 220 m (720 ft).

Stout-bodied and almost "humpbacked" in form, the whiskery shark can be distinguished from all other members of its family by the presence of long nasal barbels.

It is viviparous; females bear litters of four to 28 pups every other year from August to October, after a gestation period of 7–9 months.

Since then, strict fishery management has kept the whiskery shark population stable or increasing, resulting in its listing as of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Hemitriakis Furgaleus Triakis semifasciata Galeorhinus Hypogaleus Triakis megalopterus + Scylliogaleus + Mustelus Australian ichthyologist Gilbert Percy Whitley described the whiskery shark as a new genus and species, Fur macki, in a 1943 issue of the scientific journal Australian Zoologist.

[7] Based on morphology, Leonard Compagno grouped Furgaleus with Hemitriakis, Iago, and Gogolia as the tribe Iagini within the subfamily Galeorhininae of the family Triakidae.

The horizontally oval eyes are placed high on the head and are equipped with rudimentary nictitating membranes (protective third eyelids).

[9] Other cephalopods, bony fishes, small rock lobsters, spoon worms, and seagrass have also been found amongst its stomach contents.

[11] Like other houndsharks, the whiskery shark is viviparous; the developing embryos are sustained by yolk and probably also maternally produced histotroph.

Mating takes place in August and September; females store sperm until late January to early April of the following year, when the ova are ready to be ovulated into the uterus.

[12][13] Juvenile whiskery sharks are rarely caught by commercial fishers, suggesting that nursery areas may be found in deeper water or other unfished habitats.

Pups double to triple in size in the first 15–17 months of life, and continue to grow rapidly until they are 3–4 years old.

Since its population is stable and regularly monitored, and the fisheries that affect it are well-managed, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed this species as least concern.