#carpet sharks

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

If you're as blind as a blind shark, you can see just fine! Blind sharks have fully functioning eyes, and instead gets its name from its habit of retracting its eyeballs into its skull and shuting its thick lower eyelids when removed from the water. This species is actually notoriously hardy, and can survive up to 18 hours exposed to the air!

(Image: A blind shark (Brachaelurus waddi) by Erik Schlögl)

[vestaignis]

Ковровые акулы или воббегонги.

Воббегонги или ковровые акулы (название они получили за орнамент на шкуре) делятся на три рода и одиннадцать видов. Все они встречаются в Азиатско-Тихоокеанском регионе, главным образом в неглубоких водах Австралии и Индонезии. Эти пестрые акулы попадаются у берега и в открытом море на коралловых и каменистых рифах, в бухтах,  под пирсами и на песчаном дне от зоны прибоя до глубины 218 м. Молодые акулы чаще попадаются в эстуариях и в зарослях водорослей.  Их необычное для нашего слуха имя происходит из языка австралийских аборигенов и переводится как «косматая борода» – из-за кожных выростов на рыле, напоминающих растрепанную бороду.

Большинство ковровых акул довольно невелики по размеру, но, как ни сложно в это поверить, они относятся к тому же отряду (Воббегонгообразные, Orectolobiformes), что и китовые акулы – самые большие рыбы на планете. Но пятнистая бородатая акула – крупнейшая в своём семействе. В среднем она достигает 160-180 см. Наибольшая зарегистрированная ихтиологами длина - 320 см.

Сильное, мускулистое, широкое и плоское тело воббегонгов покрыто узором из коричневых, желтых и бледно-серо-голубых пятен, полосок и розеток на светлом желтовато-коричневом фоне .У воббегонговых акул широкая плоская голова, обрамленная «бахромой» из кожных выростов, маленькие недоброжелательные глаза-бусины, теряющиеся в мешанине пятен, образующих сложный узор на шкуре, широкие веслообразные грудные плавники, расположенные по бокам, и темный, похожий на ленту хвост, закрученный вбок в тугое кольцо.

Акула питается каракатицами и другими головоногими, различными ракообразными, придонной рыбой. Воббегонг поедает молодых акул и других хищных рыб, которых способен проглотить. Бородатая акула не проявляет большой активности в поиске добычи. Это хищник – засадчик. Большую часть времени рыба проводит, затаившись на дне.

Wobbegongs, or carpet sharks.

Wobbegongs, or carpet sharks (named for the pattern on their skin), are divided into three genera and eleven species. All are found in the Asia-Pacific region, primarily in the shallow waters of Australia and Indonesia. These colorful sharks are found near shore and in the open sea on coral and rocky reefs, in bays, under piers, and on sandy bottoms from the surf zone to depths of 218 meters. Juvenile sharks are more often found in estuaries and seagrass beds. Their unusual name comes from the Australian Aboriginal language and translates as "shaggy beard" – referring to the skin growths on their snouts that resemble a shaggy beard.

Most carpet sharks are quite small in size, but, hard as it may be to believe, they belong to the same order (Orectolobiformes) as whale sharks, the largest fish on the planet. But the spotted bearded shark is the largest member of its family. On average, it reaches 160-180 cm. The longest recorded length by ichthyologists is 320 cm.

The wobbegong's strong, muscular, broad, and flat body is covered with a pattern of brown, yellow, and pale gray-blue spots, stripes, and rosettes on a light yellowish-brown background. Wobbegong sharks have a broad, flat head framed by a "fringe" of skin growths, small, beady, malevolent eyes lost in the jumble of spots that form a complex pattern on the skin, broad, paddle-shaped pectoral fins located on the sides, and a dark, ribbon-like tail, curled sideways into a tight ring.

The shark feeds on cuttlefish and other cephalopods, various crustaceans, and bottom-dwelling fish. The wobbegong feeds on young sharks and other predatory fish that it can swallow. The bearded shark is not particularly active in searching for prey. It is an ambush predator, spending most of its time hiding on the bottom.

Источник://masterok.livejournal.com/937427.html, /tetis.ru/diving/ stati_o_dajvinge/uwabout/kovrovye_akuly_ili_vobbegongi_podvodnye_aborigeny_radzhaampata/, /ru.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=Spotted%20Wobbegong&rs=typed,//www.aqualogo.ru/pyatnisty_vobbegong_orectolobus_maculatus.

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

have you done the wobbegong shark yet (specifically the spotted wobbegong)? they’re so delightful

I haven't done the spotted wobbegong yet!

Have you seen the spotted wobbegong (Orectolobus maculatus)?

I have now

Yes, in photos/videos

Yes, irl

I'm not sure

Voting ended onDec 16, 2025

[randomanimaloftheday]

Im not sure if you have done this but i would love a tasseled wobbegong:) thanks

Day 361# Tasselled Wobbegong

Today's animal of the day is the Tasselled Wobbegong (Eucrossorhinus dasypogon)!

Photo credit: Poul Erik Rasmussen

This species of carpet shark inhabits the shallow reefs along the northern coast of Australia, New Guinea, and several other nearby islands. As their name suggests, many (but not all) species of carpet sharks have relatively flat bodies and stunning patterns, which help them to blend in with the reef floor and also resemble the ornate patterns of some carpets/rugs. The tasselled wobbegong is probably the most unique-looking species of carpet shark, since, as its name suggests, its face is lined with special dermal flaps, called a beard, that resemble tassels on a rug and help the shark look even more like coral. They are a fairly decent size and can grow up to 5.9 ft long. That might seem small compared to something like a great white, but these guys are longer than I am tall, so I think that's a pretty good size (yeah, I'm short but still).

Photo credit: Rickard Zerpe

Tasselled wobbegongs are usually solitary and spend the day resting inside underwater caves or underneath rock ledges. Unlike some other types of sharks, wobbegongs don't need to keep swimming in order to breathe and can instead suck up water into their mouths and then out through their gills in order to get oxygen. During this time, they will occasionally snatch up any fish that mistakes them for a patch of coral and gets too close. They'll also sometimes lure fish and other creatures closer to them by wiggling their tassels to make them look like worms.

Photo credit: Leonard Low

However, most of their hunting is actually done at night, when they leave their dens and actively search the reef for prey. Their diet mostly consists of smaller species of fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods. Their wide mouths allow them to swallow larger prey animals; there was even one case of a 4.3 ft long wobbegong capturing and eating a 3.3 ft long brownbanded bamboo shark! Allegedly, these sharks will also attack humans unprovoked, but there's only one confirmed death caused by a tasselled wobbegong, which took place in 1940. They're certainly capable of doing serious damage to a person, but their sluggish behavior makes it unlikely that one would attack someone unless they got too close and the shark mistakes their hands or feet for a fish.

Photo credit: Lilly Palm

While this species is currently listed as of least concern by the IUCN, in some places the tasselled wobbegong is actually experiencing a population decline due to overfishing, the destruction of coral reefs, and water pollution. They're apparently often sought after so that their beautifully patterned skin can be turned into shark leather products. As a result, they're considered to be near threatened in places like New Guinea and the surrounding islands. Thankfully, they have some legal protections in the waters surrounding Australia, and so that population is doing pretty well. They also do pretty well in captivity, since even at night, when they are more active, they rarely stray far from their dens and so don't need a gigantic tank like open ocean sharks do.

Photo credit: Jon Hanson

Thanks @goober89 for requesting this species!

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day (sparknotes)

Today's fish of the day is the ginger carpetshark!

The ginger carpetshark, also known Parascyllium sparsimaculatum is a rarely found carpetshark in Western Australia! Found at a depth of 204-245 meters. This species is known by only 3 specimen, so there is no information about their populations.

These sharks are known as small for their family, at a size of 78cm, although this data may be skewed by small sample size, as well as all current specimen being female. There is no current known information about their diet, although it is likely they consume small fish and invertebrates.

There is little known about the reproduction and lifecycle of the ginger carpetshark. These sharks, like all sharks lay eggs, which hatch outside of the mother. However we don't know the lifespan, or size of which these sharks achieve maturity.

That's the ginger carpetshark! I hope you enjoyed reading about them! 

If you would like to read about them in further detail, there's another post Here

[heartnosekid]

dancing with a gentle giant, the whale shark | source

[just-here-for-shark-stuff]

Daily Shark Fact - 4/11/2025

Today's shark is the nurse shark!

The basics: nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum) are members of the carpet shark family, a diverse family that includes wobbegongs, zebra sharks, and even the whale shark! Like many in its order, nurse sharks are slow-moving and typically inoffensive to humans, and they spend much of their time on or near the sea floor. They're obligate suction-feeders, using the sensitive barbels near their mouths to help find food. Because they are docile and hardy sharks, they tolerate capture, handling, and tagging very well, making them a very important species for shark research and a great candidate for larger aquarium sharks.

Conservation status: vulnerable. Though the species has been assessed as a species of least concern in some portions of its range, its range is wide but spotty, and habitat degradation, targetted commercial fishing, and bycatch risk all contribute to a potential for the nurse shark to become dangerously threatened. They have only recently been listed as vulnerable by the IUCN and data on their population is still not clear.

Today's fun fact: despite their slow-moving, docile nature, nurse sharks are ranked fourth on the list of documented shark bite incidents, behind only the big three (white sharks, bull sharks, and tiger sharks). Nurse sharks will not bite a person as a case of mistaken identity while trying to hunt, as the others will - instead, nurse shark bite incidents are almost universally because their slow-moving, tolerant nature means people will more often harrass them. It's an important reminder that all sharks are wild animals who don't want to be bothered by humans, no matter how "friendly" they may seem!

[boiga]

An Indonesian wobbegong shark (Orectolobus leptolineatus) shows off its camouflage off the coast of Alor, Indonesia

by Iain Fraser