This genus is confined to tropical waters off Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia, but an individual from this genus, possibly representing an undescribed species, has been photographed at the Seychelles.[1] They have short snouts with the nostrils placed almost at the tip, and well-elevated eyes and supraorbital ridges. The mouth is closer to the tip of the snout than the eyes, and lacks the connecting dermal fold across the chin. The pectoral and pelvic fins are thick and heavily muscular. Either a black hood on the head or a large black spot on the sides of the body is present,[2] though juveniles often are strongly marked with dark spots/bars.
In January 2020, marine biologists at the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Queensland in Australia announced new findings that provide evidence that genus Hemiscyllium, also known as "walking sharks", was the newest genus of sharks in terms of historical findings on biological evolution.[4]