 This species is viviparous, with females bearing litters of 9 young possibly every other year before the wet season.Very rare and facing threats from commercial and recreational fishing, and perhaps also habitat degradation, this species has been assessed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.The first known specimens of the northern river shark, two newborn males from Papua New Guinea, were discovered by New Zealand ichthyologist Jack Garrick, after whom the species was eventually named.