Daily Critter Facts With over 400 known species of sharks worldwide, one of the more interesting is the wobbegong shark. Its flesh is sometimes eaten and its skin is sometimes utilized for leather. Spotted wobbegongs, like other wobbegong species, hav… With the help of over 7,000 of the world’s best wildlife filmmakers and photographers, conservationists and scientists, Arkive.org featured multi-media fact-files for more than 16,000 endangered species. The average size of the spotted wobbegong at birth is 21 cm. GBIF network ~ OBIS distribution map ~ AquaMaps. This is the method of reproduction for the “live-bearing” fishes where pups hatch from egg capsules inside the mother’s uterus and are born soon afterward. This way they ambush their prey as it comes any closer. The Spotted Wobbegong differs from Orectolobus halei in having saddles with whitish rings and blotches, and more dermal lobes (6-10) at the rear end of the preorbital group. If you’re a diver, you’re likely to see these animals at Long Reef. The Spotted Wobbegong is native to areas of Australia along the Pacific and the Indian Oceans between 20 to 40 degrees South. New research suggests that the spotted wobbegong shark aggregates in 'social' groups, as opposed to previous assumptions that shark groupings were chance occurrences influenced by … It prefers to dwell in rocky areas and coral reefs, as well as bays, estuaries, seagrass beds, tide pools, sand flats and even under piers. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. These caves are often shared with small schooling fishes. It literally uses its head as a net! Wobbegongs feed mostly at night time and they eat fish, crayfish, crabs and octopus. During breeding season, males are attracted to females when they release pheromones into the water. They have 2 dorsal fins, the first originating over their pelvis, the second just before their anal fin. 2005). Journey with Gentle Giants is the only opportunity in the world where you’re guaranteed to swim with whale sharks, manta rays and more. Juvenile Spotted Wobbies occur in estuaries, on seagrass beds, and on low-profile reefs inshore from the usual habitats haunted by adults of the same species. The name Wobbegong is believed to come from an Australian Aboriginal word that means “shaggy beard.”The name refers to the growths around the shark’s mouth. Although it has not been confirmed, the species may always return to a single site repeatedly throughout its life. Occurring on continental shelves, from the intertidal zone down to 360 feet (110 m), the spotted wobbegong is commonly found on or around reefs, under piers and on sandy bottoms. Spotted wobbegong is a bottom-dwelling shark whose range includes the eastern Indian Ocean, Southern and Western Australia, Japan and the South China Sea. Read about how we use cookies by visiting our "Privacy and Terms." Elasmodiver.com – image database of sharks, skates, rays, and chimaera’s from around the world by Andy Murch, Research Orectolobus maculatus @Barcode of Life ~ BioOne ~ Biodiversity Heritage Library ~ CITES ~ Cornell Macaulay Library ~ Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) ~ ESA Online Journals ~ FishBase ~ Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department ~ GBIF ~ Google Scholar ~ ITIS ~ IUCN RedList (Threatened Status) ~ Marine Species Identification Portal ~ NCBI (PubMed, GenBank, etc.) This bottom dweller prefers sandy/rocky surfaces and coral reefs, the substrates that match its cryptic coloration. # 2. They might look like lumpy carpets, and be named after an unfamiliar Australian Aboriginal word (apparently meaning "shaggy beard"), but make no mistake – wobbegongs are definitely sharks.Known as “carpet sharks” because of the ornate patterns on their bodies, wobbegong species include the spotted wobbegong and the floral banded wobbegong. Other species of wobbegongs are similar in appearance, however, the patterns of spotted wobbegongs are specific to this species and aid in their superb camouflage among the reefs in the eastern Indian Ocean, off eastern Queensland and southern Australia, and possibly off southern Japan and in the South China Sea. The bite can cause severe lacerations, and the spotted wobbegong is known to clamp down on its victim without letting go. While mating, like other shark species, males will bite females and insert one clasper into the cloaca to release sperm. Wobbegong species, it is often discarded with post-release mortality thought to be high. Previous records of the species in Japanese and the South China Sea were likely misidentifications (Last and Stevens 1994, Compagno 2001). It has a wide mouth and there is a large crescent-shaped spiracle behind each eye. Occurs in the Western Pacific, including Eastern Indonesia, New Guinea, and Northern Australia. None were fatal. Sightings have been reported in Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia, in the western Pacific Ocean and eastern Indian Ocean (20°S – 40°S, 113°E – 154°E). Also seagrass and estuaries, tide pools and on sand. Females produce up to 37 pups per litter. They have an powerful jaw and will bite if provoked. The spotted wobbegong shark can grow to 3.2m in length. Spotted wobbegong sharks, Orectolobus maculatus, feed at night on octopuses, crabs, lobsters, sea bass, and luderick. Little is known about when they reach sexual maturity although they believe it is when the female is over 1.0m in length. They are a pri­mar­ily noc­tur­nal species, and are found in caves, under the over­hangs of rocky and coral reefs, and in ship­wrecks dur­ing the day. Spotted wobbegongs, like other wobbegong species, have nasal barbels and hanging tassels on and around their head and body. Preys on bottom invertebrates and bony fishes. Spotted Wobbegongs live in shallow coastal waters down to about 100 m depth. Discover more. The International Shark Attack File reports 16 confirmed bites to humans by spotted wobbegongs of which only 2 were not provoked. It has been observed in water barely deep enough to cover it. Ovoviviparous: eggs are retained within the body of the female in a brood chamber where the embryo develops, receiving nourishment from a yolk sac. It occurs at depths of 1-218 m. Juveniles are found in … Because of the species' colour pattern, it camouflages well on rocky bottoms. 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.