Creature Feature: Wobbegong (or Carpet Shark)

Wobbegong is the common name given to the 12 species of carpet sharks in the family Orectolobidae. They are found in shallow temperate and tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean and eastern Indian Ocean, chiefly around Australia and Indonesia, although one species (the Japanese wobbegong, Orectolobus japonicus) occurs as far north as Japan. The word wobbegong is believed to come from an Australian Aboriginal language, meaning "shaggy beard", referring to the growths around the mouth of the shark of the western Pacific.

Wobbegongs are bottom-dwelling sharks and spend much of their time resting on the sea floor. Wobbegongs are well camouflaged with a symmetrical pattern of bold markings which resembles a carpet, hence the name "carpet shark". The camouflage is improved by the presence of small whiskers lobes^[1] surrounding the wobbegong's jaw, which it uses to entice and catch fish. Wobbegongs are ambush predators. They use their relative invisibility to hide among rocks and catch smaller fish which swim too close. Most species have a maximum length of 4 feet or less, but the largest, the spotted wobbegong, Orectolobus maculatus, and banded wobbegong, O. halei, reach about nearly 10 feet in length.

Wobbegongs are generally not dangerous unless they are provoked. They have been known to bite people who accidentally step on them in shallow water; they may also bite scuba divers or snorkellers who poke or touch them, or who block their escape route. Wobbegongs are very flexible and can easily bite a hand that is holding on to their tail.^[2]  They have many small but sharp teeth. Their bite can be severe, even through a wetsuit.  Wobbegongs have been known to hang on once they have inflicted their bite and can be very difficult to remove.^[3] To avoid being bitten, divers should avoid contact.

Spotted wobbegong, Orectolobus maculatus,

showing the camouflage pattern and skin flaps

typical of wobbegongs.

Facts About Wobbegong Sharks

They are so flat in their shape that they look like the part of the sea floor.

They move slowly in water.

Diet: lobster, crab & octopus

They normally are not dangerous, but there have been 23 confirmed attacks.

Normally, it is not an aggressive creature.
Attacks only when provoked.

The females of these species can deliver around 37 young at a time.

^[1]^ "Wobbegongs - five species encountered in Queensland". Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries. 2009-03-02. http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/cps/rde/dpi/hs.xsl/28_12484_ENA_HTML.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-14.

^[2]^ Kuiter, Rudie (1999). Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia (amended ed.). New Holland Publishers (Aust.) Pty Ltd. p. 12. ISBN 1-86436-091-7.

^[3]^ "Shark sinks its teeth in for the long haul". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2004-02-12. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/02/11/1076388440368.html. Retrieved 2006-06-14.