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Size
4.1 feet (1.2 m) -
Diet
Bottom-dwelling fishes and invertebrates -
Range
Western Pacific Ocean -
Habitat
Ocean floor on the continental shelf and on offshore reefs
Physical Characteristics
- Back and fins are a brown to beige color overlain with a variable reticulated pattern of narrow dark lines. The ventral surface is a whitish tan.
- Head and body are flattened and the pectoral and pelvic fins are broad. Wide mouth; large crescent-shaped spiracle behind each eye.
- Numerous highly branched dermal lobes on the head and a ‘beard’ on the chin
- Maximum length of 4.1 feet (1.25 m).
Animal Fun Fact
The name "wobbegong", from the tasselled wobbegong, is Australian Aboriginal in origin, but its exact meaning is unknown. It is speculated that it may mean "living rock."
Diet / Feeding
- Diet consists of bottom-dwelling fish and invertebrates (crab, lobsters, octopuses)
- It’s an ambush predator that lies motionless on the bottom, blending into the reef structure until small fish or other prey move within striking distance, then quickly opens its mouth and uses buccal suction to catch its prey.
Range / Habitat
- Occurs in the Western Pacific, including Eastern Indonesia, New Guinea, and Northern Australia. Commonly observed on the Great Barrier Reef.
- Found near the ocean floor on the continental shelf and on offshore reefs.
Reproduction & Growth
- Viviparous with yolk sac; fertilization of eggs occurs internally; young develop within the female and are born fully-formed.
- Pups are born in litters of 20 or more.
Conservation Status
- “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List.
Additional Information
- Nocturnal and possibly solitary
- Feeds primarily at night.
- Master of escaping notice in plain sight.
- Almost undetectable when resting quietly on the bottom.
- Its flattened body and enlarged pectoral and pelvic fins drape over the rocky or coral substrate, barely adding to the vertical relief of the bottom.
- The pattern of light and dark dots and rings breaks up the body so that it blends imperceptibly with the surrounding underwater terrain.
- The beard of dermal lobes further obscures the outline of the shark’s head, making it very hard to tell where the animal stops and the bottom begins.
- The name “wobbegong” is Australian Aboriginal in origin, but its exact meaning is unknown. It is speculated that it may mean “living rock.”
Sources
Ebert, David A., Marc Dando, and Sarah Fowler. Sharks of the World: A Complete Guide. Princeton University Press, 2021. Pg 267-268, 274
