 Predators of the leopard catshark include larger sharks and marine mammals ; it is one of the cartilaginous fish most often consumed by the broadnose sevengill shark ( Notorynchus cepedianus ) . When threatened , it curls into a ring with its tail covering its head , a behavior also performed by the shysharks ( Haploblepharus ) . Its eggs are also heavily preyed upon , by animals such as the whelks Burnupena papyracea and B. lagenaria , which can pierce the outer covering to extract the yolk . This species is known to be parasitized by the praniza larvae of the isopod Gnathia pantherina , which infest the nostrils , mouth , and gills . 
