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| Wobbegong | ||||||||||||
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 Spotted wobbegong, Orectolobus maculatus,
showing the camouflage pattern and skin flaps typical of wobbegongs. |
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See text for genera and species. |
Wobbegong is the common name given to the eight species of carpet sharkand type of fishs in the family Orectolobidae. 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.
Wobbegongs are bottom-dwelling sharks and spend much of their time resting on the sea floor. The largest species, the spotted wobbegong, Orectolobus maculatus, grows up to 3.2 m long.
Wobbegongs are well camouflaged with a symmetrical pattern of bold markings which resembles carpet. Because of this striking pattern, wobbegongs and their close relatives are often referred to as carpet sharks. The camouflage is improved by the presence of small vegetation-like flaps of skin around the wobbegong's mouth. Wobbegongs make use of their relative invisibility to hide among rocks and catch smaller fish which swim too close, typical of ambush predators.
Wobbegongs are not dangerous unless they are provoked. They have bitten people who accidentally step on them in shallow water; they may also bite scuba divers or snorkellers who poke or touch them, or who block their escape route. Wobbegongs are very flexible and can easily bite a hand that is holding on to their tail.
They have many small but sharp teeth and their bite can be severe, even through a wetsuit; having once bitten, they have been known to hang on and can be very difficult to remove.1 To avoid being bitten, divers should avoid accidental contact.
Although wobbegongs do not eat humans, humans frequently eat wobbegongs; the flesh of a wobbegong or other shark is called flake and it is often used in fish and chips in Australia.
Wobbegong skin is also used to make leather.
The word wobbegong is believed to come from an Australian Aboriginal language, meaning "shaggy beard", referring to the growths around the mouth of the shark of the western Pacific.
Genera and species
- Orectolobus
- Orectolobus parvimaculatus
- Orectolobus floridus
- Orectolobus halei Whitley, 1940.2
- Orectolobus hutchinsi Last, Chidlow & Compagno, 2006.3
- Tasselled wobbegong, Orectolobus dasypogon (Bleeker, 1867) [1]
- Japanese wobbegong, Orectolobus japonicus Regan, 1906 [2]
- Spotted wobbegong , Orectolobus maculatus (Bonnaterre, 1788) [3]
- Ornate wobbegong, Orectolobus ornatus (De Vis, 1883) [4]
- Northern wobbegong, Orectolobus wardi Whitley, 1939 [5]
- Western wobbegong, Orectolobus sp. A
- Sutorectus
- Cobbler wobbegong, Sutorectus tentaculatus (Peters, 1864) [6]
See also
References
- Fishbase page on wobbegongs
- Australian Museum page on the spotted wobbegong
- Wobbegong shark pictures
- ^ "Shark sinks its teeth in for the long haul", The Sydney Morning Herald (2004-02-12). Retrieved on 14 June 2006.
- ^ Huveneers (2006). "Redescription of two species of wobbegongs (Chondrichthyes: Orectolobidae) with elevation of Orectolobus halei Whitley 1940 to species level". Zootaxa 1284: 29–51, http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2006f/z01284p051f.pdf.
- ^ Last, Chidlow & Compagno (2006). "A new wobbegong shark, Orectolobus hutchinsi n. sp. (Orectolobiformes: Orectolobidae) from southwestern Australia". Zootaxa 1239: 35–48, http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2006f/z01239p048f.pdf.
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 18 November 2008, at 08:46.
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