Cartilaginous fish · Orectolobiformes · Orectolobidae

Spotted Wobbegong

Orectolobus maculatus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The spotted wobbegong is a completely flattened bottom-dwelling shark, with a marbled pattern and branched fleshy fringes around the mouth that mimic seaweed. It lies motionless on the bottom, indistinguishable from the substrate, and sucks in the fish that come close to the fringes taking them for vegetation.

Weight

10 kg – 40 kg

Size

1 m – 3.2 m

Lifespan

30 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Fish Ocean

1countries 11parks 10dive sites

Fun facts

Its branched fringes around the mouth mimic seaweed and act as a lure: fish come in to pick among them and the shark sucks them in without needing to move.
Its camouflage is so good that divers tread on it without seeing it, and practically every recorded bite is down to that: it is a placid animal reacting to being stood on.
It can swallow prey of disproportionate size: wobbegongs have been documented downing other sharks almost as large as themselves.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - cartilaginous skeleton (fish)
Habitat & environment: Rocky bottoms, reefs and weed beds of southern Australia, down to 100 metres
Sexual maturity: 5 years
Gestation / incubation: 12 months of gestation
Litter / clutch size: 30 live young

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/