Wobbegong Carpet Shark

                                            Wobbegong Carpet Shark



The Wobbegong carpet shark, also known as the spotted carpet shark, belongs to the Orectolobidae family and to the Chondrichthyes class, its scientific name being Orectolobus Maculatus.





Where does the Wobbegong carpet shark live?

It is native to Australia , and is found in large numbers in the Eastern Indian Ocean, specifically western Queensland, as well as the South China Sea and parts of Japan.

It usually walks along continental platforms, establishing depth limits of up to 110 meters. They are also seen on sandy bottoms, piers, and rocky reefs, and rarely travel to shallow areas near the surface.

Features of the Wobbegong Carpet Shark


What is most striking about this shark is the natural camouflage of its body, which has a fairly symmetrical pattern in terms of marks and spots distributed throughout its length, which resemble the pattern of a carpet, and it is thanks to they manage to go completely unnoticed at the bottom of the sea.

On the front part of his face he has what appear to be whiskers that are easily confused with marine plants, and which extend to his jaw, the most surprising thing is that they have sensory spikes that make him capture the prey that is find nearby.

In short, they are sharks that can turn invisible between rocks . The color of its skin is divided between brown and greenish yellow, meanwhile the whole body is flattened and its jaw protrudes when hunting. In terms of size, they easily reach 3 meters in length.

What do Wobbegong Carpet Sharks eat?

They usually consume marine animals that keep moving close to the sand or rocks , among them we can mention lobsters, octopus, sea bass, crabs and other types of small and medium-sized fish.

Their way of hunting is generally immobile, since they stay in an area where they go unnoticed and wait for some prey to approach. However, they can sometimes pursue their victims stealthily and over relatively long distances.

Do Wobbegong Carpet Sharks Eat People?

Although there are no cases in which a carpet shark has bitten a human with the intention of ingesting it , there have been recorded events in which it has attacked swimmers, and divers, who have accidentally approached it.

These incidents occur easily given the difficulty of distinguishing the carpet shark in the sand, and although the bite of these fish is painful and delicate, due to the sharpness of their teeth, no tragic cases have been known so far.

Reproduction of Wobbegong carpet sharks

They are ovoviviparous sharks , that is to say that the female has a chamber where the embryo is raised and develops, receiving food directly from the yolk sac, later the young are born inside the uterus.

The chambers are quite large, with up to 37 pups being born, which measure approximately 21 centimeters when they first emerge into the outside world.

The moment of mating is very characteristic in these sharks, since when the males are attracted to the females they begin to release a hormone in the water, in the same way that they take small bites until the female accepts it and allows the release. of sperm

Is the Wobbegong Carpet Shark Endangered?


Although this shark has been overfished in Australia, it still remains a species of least concern, according to the IUCN red list, which is attributed to its rapid reproduction. 

Wobbegong Carpet Shark Trivia

  • Their whiskers are shaped like sea plants and are perfect for camouflage.
  • Sometimes they rise to the surface and stay on the banks, which has caused several incidents with humans, who approach without realizing it.
  • They can sleep all day and wake up at night to feed.

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