#orectolobus

[herpsandbirds]

Dwarf Spotted Wobbegong (Orectolobus parvimaculatus), family Orectolobidae, order Orectolobiformes, found off the coast of SW Australia

Photograph by jmartincrossley

[snototter]

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

by Iain Fraser

[drhoz]

#1861 - Orectolobus floridus - Floral Banded Wobbegong

Woodman Point, Perth

A small, recently described carpet shark, found only off the coast of SW Australia. Up to 75cm in length. Other species can reach 3 meters.

The word wobbegong is believed to come from one of the many Australian Aboriginal languages, and means "shaggy beard", referring to the growths around the mouth. The scientific name is likewise - orektos, Greek for  ‘stretched out' and lobos ‘rounded projection or protuberance’.

There’s 12 species of wobbegong, mostly around Australia and Indonesia, but one is found as far away as Japan. 

Wobbegongs are ambush predators, waiting on the seafloor for smaller fish to wander into nomming range. Despite their small size, definitely the local shark that divers avoid - if grabbed by the tail, these sharks can and will bend right around to bite, and their rear-pointing teeth make it very difficult for them to let go. They’ll also do that if you accidentally step on them, which leads to incidents like people walking out of the water with a small shark firmly attached to their calf.